One Piece: New Voyage
by Shinobi-dono
Summary: With the Golden Age of piracy, new pirate crews set out in search of Wealth, Fame and Power. This is the story of one such crew: The Bebop Pirates.
1. The Dancing Pirate Enters!

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs and the plot. All else is owned by Oda.**

**Shinobi-dono: Hey there all! This is a new story of mine and my first One Piece Fanfic! I hope you enjoy! Please review!**

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Through the morning fog, a low tune could be heard. Like a whisper on the wind, one would hear it come. And a second later, it would be gone. The calm waters allowed for the song to be heard without the interruption of the waves crashing around. The tune was sung by a young male voice, in a falsetto that suited the song perfectly. In some ways, hearing it out here was rather spooky. But nonetheless, the tune being sung on the wind was a song familiar to many pirates.

"Yohohoho, Yohohoho! Yohohoho, Yohohoho…" it sang, the wonderful, light voice accompanied by a guitar's strummed strings, producing a sound that was easy on the ears. "Going to Deliver… Bink's sake…"

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It was a cold day as usual on Yukishiro Peak, or 'Yuki Isle' as some called it. As the name suggested, it was an island consisting of a large, snow-covered mountain, with blankets of white covering the land. The towns were small and simple, with cozy little homes where people could heat themselves up and insulated buildings to keep heat in during all times of the year. At the base of the mountain, shaded by it's position, was a port town that served as the capital of the island which was likewise blanketed in snow. It wasn't unusual to see snow on this island, of course. In South Blue, especially far south, it was very cold. Yukishiro itself was halfway between two ends of the Grand Line and its Calm Belts, putting it in the very centre of South Blue itself.

On this island, in a small tavern painted in dark colours with a stained glass window coloured varying shades of red and green, a young woman standing behind the counter inside sighed to herself, her elbows resting upon it as she held her head in her hands. She was a beautiful woman, with long, dark brown hair and hazel eyes that usually shone, though on this day she was too bored to care, and they lost their lustre. Her pale skin starkly contrasted her comparatively dark hair, and she wore black gloves that were fingerless, as well as blue jeans and a red tank top with the Doskoi Panda logo on it. On a rack not too far away was a dark-blue coat that she often wore when outside, due to the cold temperatures of the island.

"Geez, no one's come all week…" she muttered to herself in a tone that spoke volumes of her boredom, so dull that one could feel the boredom dripping out of her. Usually business was going well in her tavern, with men looking for a drink in the cold weather coming inside and enjoying themselves, but ever since a certain gang of pirates had arrived on the island, no one had gone outside out of fear of what would happen to them.

Indeed, one would ask what was going on with pirates in this town, and in response they would be told all about the current situation of the town – That not so long ago a large crew of pirates, scum of the seas that threatened and killed whoever they liked, pillaged lands and did as pleased arrived on the island, taking the small town for themselves. For there were no warriors to defend this land – it was but a simple island where merchants would come and go from despite the weather, knowing its position in the South Blue to be advantageous for trade routes. Merchants would come and go and the island profited from it. They hadn't needed an army or the like. They were comfortable. They hadn't realized the threat of pirates.

"At this rate, I'll be the one who dies for not paying the taxes…" she muttered, knowing that the pirates, who thought themselves rulers of this icy land of traders and snow, forced a sort of 'living tax' upon the land. Which meant that all who wished to stay on the good side of the pirates had to pay up lest they be killed as a result. Leadership through fear, she noted. Something that was to threaten her job position and her life. Little did she know what was about to come to her island like a gale-force wind…

* * *

With a yawn, the youth awoke from his slumber in the little dinghy that he drifted in. He had spent the past half-hour taking a nap. And letting his craft simply drift through the ocean as he did so. Not much of a sailor, but luck was on his side, it would seem. As it turned out, his small vessel had managed to reach the island while he was asleep, meaning he could finally get on land and get some food. God knows how long it had been since he ate. Plus, the best part was, at least to him, his guitar was still safely beside him instead of in the ocean. He had remembered accidentally letting it fall into the sea one time. He had been lucky he hadn't fallen out of the craft then – He probably would have drowned, and his guitar would have still been at sea.

The teenager was a young man, bearing a head of short, straight-flowing brown hair with a jagged fringe and similarly jagged ends. His skin was a healthily peachy Caucasian tone, while his eyes were sharp and narrow, with his brows thin but defined. His nose was sharp and pointed as well, while his lips were thin, held in a slight scowling look. His ears, meanwhile, were hidden by his brown hair. And lastly, to complete his facial description, the beginnings of a goatee were evident on his chin.

His clothing was simple, consisting of a black vest that was untucked, with the Doskoi Panda logo upon the front, visible to all. A chain pendant with a cross on the end of it was hanging around his neck, and a black beanie hat also made by Doskoi Panda, as evidenced by a logo on the front, covered his head. He wore a pair of baggy and slightly torn jeans, while his feet went bare to the elements. His build, meanwhile, was lean, tall and toned, a sort of athlete's build to be precise. The kind of build an active and fit teenager would have.

"D-damn it! It's f-freezing!" he commented aloud, irritated by the fact that he had sailed straight into a freezing part of South Blue without any sort of proper clothing. A foolish mistake on his part, to say the least. At the very least however, he could at least say that it kept his mind off of the hunger, although that hadn't really helped much. Still, looking up towards the port town, he could see a pirate ship docked. An odd sight, he had to say, given that the town looked safe. As he neared the docks he crouched, before with a great leap he left his craft and landed upon the wooden docks. After taking a few moments to tie up his small dinghy, he made it a point to do a few stretches to warm up – A desperate measure against the cold.

"N-Now, where to go…" he wondered aloud to himself as he walked into town, before reminding himself that a place with heat was preferable in these conditions.

* * *

"This is the worst… No one's come out to drink here, my taxes are weighing down on me and if I don't pay there'll be bad consequences… How, oh how can my day get any worse than this?" the barmaid wondered to herself, finding the whole situation she was in to be a huge pain in her side. Or even worse than that, if no one continued to show up at her pub, as she knew that if no one came, she would lose money and inevitably, her life. In her own words, how could it really get any worse?

With a few simple knocks, her worst fears were answered, as though karma itself hated her, wished to spite her. As the door burst open, several men walked in, each one tough and dangerous-looking, as though they would kill if you looked at them the wrong way. A sure sign that each and every one of the men was a pirate, if the man at the front of them whose face she recognized wasn't enough of a clue.

"Nice place… I bet you got some good stuff here…" the front man commented to himself, looking over the pub with his eye.

"What do you want?" asked the barmaid, her eyes focused on the one who spoke, the First Mate of this band of pirates. For a pirate who had taken over her land, she bemoaned the face he was so stereotypical of a pirate, possessing an eyepatch over the left eye, wearing a striped red shirt, dark pants, a brown sash, boots and a sabre at his side. It wasn't bad enough that she had to deal with the man, but he just had to go and make himself look ridiculous by being such a textbook example of what a pirate was thought of as. Not that she expected him to be nice either, of course. But a little sophistication wasn't too much to ask of people who had taken over her island, was it?

"Rum. And lot's of it. And, of course, put it on the house" the First Mate had told her, grinning from ear to ear, so confident in himself. Like he knew she wouldn't dare defy him.

"Do you expect to get free rum from me?" she responded, eyes narrowing on him in irritation. Yet despite her remark, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she held the lower ground in this conversation.

"Do you think you can get away with minor injuries if you anger me?" he asked simply, knowing that it was all she needed to hear to comply with his order. And the worst thing was, he was right.

With a frown, she began muttering curses under her breath as she walked over to the tap and began filling glasses. For a few minutes it went on like this, with all the pirates drinking their rum and occasionally asking for more from the barmaid. Some would make some rather lewd comments about her, and she felt the urge to hit them for the comments. Yet despite this still she remembered to swallow her pride – What was one death to there men? Absolutely nothing. She would be even less than a martyr. Her fists seemed to tighten around a glass she was cleaning as the comments came, and she almost cracked it before she reminded herself not to let it affect her.

However, soon the door opened again, with a young teenager standing in the doorway of the pub, hugging himself with his arms to keep warm in the cold weather of the island while a guitar hung from a strap behind him. His expression conveyed well his annoyance at the climate of the island, brows furrowed and a vein pulsing in his forehead. His teeth were grit within his closed mouth, and his head was slightly hunched in.

"Goddamnit! This weather is cold!" he exclaimed aloud to no one in particular as he walked in, the door slamming behind him as he walked into the room, before sitting down on a barstool next to the one-eyed First Mate, almost unaware that everyone in the room was looking at him, ignorant of the fact that he stood out so well amongst the pirates and the young barmaid that had inhabited the pub before he had gotten here.

"Um… Y-yeah, can I have s-something cheap? I-I don't care if it's juice, even…" he murmured with a stutter. Due to the sheer cold he was exposed to and his flushed face as he faced her, she had passed it off as him simply freezing from the intense cold. It took a few seconds however for the words to actually sink in to everyone's minds in the room. All of the people in the room were staring at him like he was mad, the barmaid included. After all, didn't he notice just who was in the bar? Didn't he realize he was surrounded by a group of pirates? However, she soon reacted normally and poured him a glass of rum before handing it to him, deciding that, even though it wasn't the cheapest drink she had, she had to give the guy some sort of break for walking into her pub at this time.

As he drank from it, the pirates and the barmaid all watched him down it, each gulp emptying the glass of a plentiful amount of the alcoholic substance. They were still wondering what it was that made the boy thing of entering. However, with a grin the First Mate looked at him, a glint in his eyes. Chuckling to himself, he made his move.

"Oi, kid. I bet ya liked that rum, didn't ya? I didn't think kids yer age drank rum though…" he remarked, catching the young teenager's attention. The youth, in response, turned to look at him, a brow raised while the scowl remained, which seemed permanently stuck on his face.

"Hm?" the youth started, wondering or a second who the man was. Deciding not to bother asking, he continued. "Well, I guess I do-".

He was cut off mid-sentence as suddenly (And not to mention rudely), the First Mate's fist hit him square in the face, knocking him off the barstool and onto the ground, his glass likewise falling to the ground and breaking apart, a small pool of rum now pooling around his head. His expression seemed to be one of surprise and disbelief, as though not believing what had happened for a second. Immediately there was an uproar of laughter as all the pirates laughed at the boy, finding their First Mate's actions hilarious, though at the same time they merely wished to spite the boy who dared drink in the same pub as them.

"Oi! That hurt!" the youth yelled, his scowl deepening as his brows furrowed. Like a punk, one could say, who looked ready to punch the guy back the moment he got up. But the pirates continued to laugh, the First Mate simply smirking as he looked down upon the adolescent.

"Kid, do ya know just what yer doin'?! This here island's OUR territory! The Frost Pirates are king here, understand? Ya know what that means?" the First Mate asked almost rhetorically, expecting an answer he wanted to hear from the young teenager that everyone else on this island would give him.

"This island is run by a bunch of rum-drinking, foul-smelling bastards?" the youth remarked, raising a brow. With a grin, the First Mate nodded.

"Yes! It means this island is run by a bunch of rum-drinking, foul-smelling-OI!" he yelled back at the kid, his expression quickly changing from confidence to anger at the sudden, embarrassing outburst. At this everyone, including the pirates and the barmaid actually laughed at the First Mate. However, a hard glare from the First Mate promptly shut his own band of pirates up, along with the barmaid, while the kid suppressed a chuckle, a small smirk on his face. Furious, he drew his sabre from his sash, the cold steel shining with the light within the pub. Practically seething at his embarrassment, the First Mate spoke again.

"Kid, you're going to regre-"

The First Mate never finished his sentence. A loud crack erupted as the kid's leg whipped upwards, the sole of his foot slamming into the larger man's face and sending him reeling back, crashing to the ground with a thud from the sheer force. Like a heavyweight's knockout blow the First Mate's head rebounded against the ground, his eyes going blank as he fell unconscious from the blow. Everyone was silent as the kid stood there with his outstretched foot, still annoyed as ever. But then, like activity after a long period of dormancy, a great eruption occurred.

"He-He knocked out Mick-sama!" cried one of the pirates loudly over the sudden uproar, yells bouncing across the room.

"Mick-sama!" another cried aloud, raising his blade.

"You'll pay, kid!" spoke a third, gritting his teeth and glaring at the youth.

"Avenge Mick-sama!" they chorused as one, each one staring down the young adolescent who dared to oppose them and their First Mate. The pirates were furious with the kid. First he drank their rum and now he knocked out their First Mate? He would pay, oh so dearly.

Seeing the young kid pay the barmaid for the drink she had served him, the group seemed to turn to stone, watching aghast as he seemed to simply ignore the crowd as though they hadn't even existed. An audacity that fuelled their own desire to see this kid's head at their feet. But as the kid turned back to them with his own, defiant smirk, the group seemed to cower. There was something off-putting about that smirk, as though instinct alone was telling them not to dare combat this kid. Wanting to maintain their pride and reputation while obeying instinct, one of the group lifted up the First Mate and slung him over their shoulders.

"Just you wait kid! The Captain's going to hear about this, just you wait!" they yelled as they ran out, carrying their First Mate as they did so with them. In a storm of quick footsteps they all rushed out the door, leaving the pub completely empty when they were done. Meaning that now only the Barmaid and the youth were left, standing in the building.

"God, I was hoping they'd get lost. I didn't like the look of that guy they called Mick…" the kid commented to himself, annoyed still over the series of events.

"YOU IDIOT!"

Thwap.

And down went the teenaged kid, clutching his head in pain as the Barmaid stood over him, frowning and glaring him down, ready to scold him in a moment.

"Wh-what d-did I do-" he stuttered out to the woman, refusing to look her in the eyes as he did so, only to receive harsh words in return for the comment. The harsh words of a woman who felt threatened and afraid.

"You pissed off the pirates, that's what! Now the Captain's gonna be mad! Do you have any idea what'll happen?!" she yelled at him, scolding his idea to dare anger the pirates that ruled them. She had held herself back, and for what? For this kid to run in and ruin everything for the town? She felt insulted!

"I g-go free?" he choked out, hoping with a small part of him that she would say yes, but instead she made no such move to agree with him.

"No! He'll come down and punish you first, then the entire town! Now that I think about it, who are you anyway?!" she shouted at him, remembering that it wasn't just a kid, but a no-name kid who had done this to her.

"S-some call me a dancer, but my name is J-Jared" he replied, getting up from his crouched position and standing face to face. His eyes still seemed reluctant to meet her face, however.

"Oh, I'm Kimino–Wait, why am I introducing myself to the kid who's ruined this town?! And why is someone who just talked down a group of pirates so nervous around women?!" she spoke aloud, and yet again the kid, now known as Jared, felt like a child being berated by a mother, despite the fact they weren't far apart in age.

"B-because it's p-polite? A-anyways, later…" Jared told her as he walked out the door, exiting the pub and returning to the cold climate he hated so much. Walking into the cold streets, he didn't get too far down the street before Kimino managed to catch up and grab him by the vest, her anger still painstakingly evident on her face. He sighed, realizing that he just couldn't win here.

"Don't think you can just walk away like that! You have to take responsibility for this!" she told him, making sure he couldn't leave until he did as she wanted him to. Jared was only able to stare back at her, before managing to get out one last comment.

"B-but I-"

"Hahahaha! You're the one who beat my First Mate? That sounds like a bad joke, my lad!" came a voice that cut off Jared before he could say anything to Kimino. Turning around, both Jared and Kimino saw a tall man with long, dark hair and a tricorne hat with a sabre in his hand. The hat alone seemed to tell Jared that this man before him was the Captain of these pirates, though the mob of pirates behind him confirmed it. Having a feeling this was Mick's Captain, he scowled again, irritation evident on his face once more.

"The name's Captain O'Leary! Kid, you got any idea what you've done? Crossing me means death! If ya wanna apologize though, I understand. I must seem very menacing-" the Pirate Captain, however, never got a chance to finish his sentence as a simple comment butt itself in midway.

"God, how stereotypical can ya get? Tricorne hat? Saber? It's like a bad story written by a lazy author-"

"Don't you dare interrupt me boy! I was gonna spare ya if ya begged, but now I'm pissed off! I hope you're ready!" he interrupted the kid, drawing his sword with force before holding it out before himself, brows furrowed as he glared at the boy in anger. "En garde!"

Rushing forwards through the snow, the crunching under his boots drowned out by a yell, he swung his blade at the teenager, only for Jared to push Kimino out of harm's way before dodging it himself. Quickly however, the Captain pivoted and swung his sword back up diagonally follow up his initial attack, to which Jared responded with a sidestep to dodge.

"What's wrong? I thought you were gonna kill me!" Jared taunted with a grin, laughing as he avoided the blade again and again.

"Just ye wait, laddie!" the Captain responded, a similar glint in his eyes as he continued his onslaught of attacks. Thrusting his blade forwards, he forced Jared to jump back. Continuing this series of stabbing motions, he kept forcing Jared backwards until soon, Jared's back was against the wall, where he could no longer move back to avoid his opponent's thrusts of the blade. Seeing this as his advantage, the Pirate Captain took it.

"Die!" he yelled in victory, swinging the blade again at the young kid. All seemed lost for the young boy, a life gone over a fight in a pub, but astonishingly for the Captain the teenager was able to duck at the last second, not even a hair removed by the thrust of his sabre.

"Sorry Captain! But here's a nice melody for you… I call it **Bluegrass Meia-Lua de Compasso!**" he spoke, before pivoting his body in place on his front foot, bringing the back leg upwards rapidly as he spun on his heel, the heel of his rising foot crashing into the side of the Captain's head. It was almost like the crash of thunder, followed by an odd silence as for moments nothing seemed to happen around. The Captain was standing, his arm outstretched, but a second later he fell to his side, completely out of it. And the kid stood tall over him, not a scratch on his body.

"What's going on?! Not only the First Mate, but the Captain as well! Just who is this guy?!" one of the pirates yelled in a panic, starting a frightened frenzy amongst the huge group.

"Wait a minute! That face… I've seen him!" another called out, staring at Jared's face with a frightened look.

"What?!" the others all sounded out around him, and the man gulped, finding it difficult to even look at the youth, let alone speak of him.

"He's that man! The 15,000,000 Beli man! The 'Dancing Pirate', 'Jared de Danser'!" he announced, and every pirate plus the barmaid Kimino froze in place, staring at the youth like some sort of demon. Their jaws dropped. Kimino was stunned. This guy was a pirate? And he had a bounty, too?! She was amazed such a nervous guy was such a strong pirate! And the only sign of pirating he really gave off was the impressive fighting skill. After all, you had to be tough to take out a First Mate and a Captain just like that.

"Man, you guys are really annoying. Am I done yet? I was hoping just to get some food…" Jared muttered. As he looked over to the pirates, he was amazed when he saw them on their knees, begging for forgiveness.

"Forgive us!" they called aloud, truly scared in the face of this pirate adolescent. "Spare us! Please!" they cried again in unison, and Jared simply smirked in response.

"We'll do anything!" one of the group called up, and Jared's smirk grew even wider at the comment.

"Anything?" Jared asked, intrigued.

"Anything!"

"Then get lost! Kimino doesn't really like you guys, and I'm sick of seeing your faces!" he told them off with a grin, taking pride in being able to scare off the pirates with his display of fighting ability. For a second, the pirates looked at each other. However, realizing it was their only way to be safe, they quickly picked up their Captain and ran off, leaving the island for good.

"Th-thank you, Jared…" Kimino spoke at last after a moment of silence, surprised at how the young pirate had so easily liberated the island of pirates. Indeed, even now she stared perplexedly as the pirate gang rushed down the docks and boarded their own ship.

"H-huh?" Jared asked, his face turning bright red suddenly at her words, finding it a bit difficult to form an answer. How easily flustered he got around women was something of a joke at this stage, the barmaid noted to herself. Sighing, Kimino shook her head.

"Geez, what kind of pirate gets flustered so easily?" Kimino asked rhetorically. "If there's anything I can do to repay you…".

"Can I have some food?" he blurted out suddenly, knowing he had to blurt it out like that lest he never manage to get the words out due to his timid nature.

"Wha?" she asked back, raising a brow. He had blurted it out a bit too quickly, it seemed.

"I-I need f-food… My s-stock k-kinda ran l-low…" he remarked, looking down at the ground as he spoke. Kimino smiled at that. For a pirate, he sure seemed nice. Suddenly however, she could hear a loud cheering throughout the streets overcome any words she or Jared could muster in sheer volume, the kind of cheering one would expect at a huge parade or event. Turning her head around, Kimino was amazed as, for the first time in days, she saw the entire town running about the streets in celebration. Loud cheering ensued as every man hugged his loved ones, as kids ran in the streets and so on.

"This is the best!" called out one villager, pumping both fists into the air excitedly.

"No more pirates!" exclaimed another, laughing with his friends.

"Banzai for Yuki Island!" cheered a third man, grinning from ear to ear.

"Woohoo!"

And so, all those on Yuki Island celebrated and afterwards, they had repaid Jared for his help by giving him a stock of food, as he asked. Never would they forget the kindness of this particular Pirate.

* * *

"Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring-"

"Oi, who the hell is calling this number? This better be important-" the gruff voice didn't get a chance to finish as the voice on the other end of the line butted in.

"This is Commodore Yu. I have orders for you, Captain".

"Oh?" the gruff voice asked with interest as it's owner leaned back in his seat, his feet propped up on the desk in front of him as he engaged the voice on the other end of the line in conversation.

"We've recently heard that 'Jared de Danser' has been to Yuki Isle. We've confirmed it after one of our vessels found the crew of one Captain O' Leary, a small time pirate. He's heading in your direction"

"Let him come. I wanna meet him face to face…" he remarked, not a hint of fear in his words, but boundless confidence, if not a slight arrogance.

"Don't mess this up" the caller responded simply.

"Don't worry. When it comes to pirates, I always have the last laugh. Captain Van Edgar, over and out, _Zhao Yu_" the voice spoke with a confident chuckle, before cutting off the connection between the two.

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**Shinobi-dono: Well, how do ya like that! My first OP fanfic. I hope you liked it. Hopefully, unlike my HP/Naruto/FMA fanfic, it won't end up being put on hiatus. I hope you also liked the end part there with two of my Marine OCs.**

**Edit: Well, here's the first chap all over again! As I said, I rewrote it to make it better, lengthier, and I changed some of the dialogue, too. Expect the rewritten second chapter to come soon!**


	2. Meetings and Conspiracies

**One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

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It was a warm, sunny day, much different to how it was on the comparatively freezing Yuki Isle as Jared noted pleasantly. Alone in his dinghy with a week's supply of essential, nutritious food and a wooden guitar as his only possessions, aside from his Doskoi Panda clothing of course, Jared had a rather boring week, as usual. However, this all-consuming boredom and lack of events all changed very suddenly. In the past five minutes to be exact, things got very _interesting._

"Geez, Lady Luck must really hate me. Or some god, at least. Maybe it's karma? Did I do anything bad lately? Geez, talk about a disappointing end…"

With that said, Jared stared down irritably at the spiraling center of his problems: The swirling, raging whirlpool that his innocent little dinghy had unfortunately been caught in. Picking up his prized guitar, he sighed loudly in defeat. If this was the end, he may as well go down singing. But there was a sort of anti-climax to it all – Little build up, the sudden and abrupt change, ending what may have been an interesting tale. Jared mused that the world must have worked like that. Taking in a deep breath, he began his swan song, fingers moving quickly to pluck the strings of the guitar.

"_Bon voyage!_

_Have the courage, set sail and believe and we will see_

_A glimpse of the sun rising on a tomorrow-!_"

He was oh so rudely cut off there by the ever-mean whirlpool as his dinghy broke in two, sending him off balance in an instant and into the sea, his biggest enemy by far. At least he wasn't the first pirate to be bested in much the same manner.

* * *

With his body wholly and completely pulled under by the merciless force of the raging whirlpool and having absolutely no chance of swimming his way out, one could quite easily imagine Jared's honest surprise as somehow, by some twist of fate, he slowly came back from the brink and steadily regained his consciousness.

At first, everything was black as his eyes were closed shut and nothing really registered to him in his head. Soon enough however, he could begin to feel it: The hot, shifting sand beneath his body, the cool ocean breeze around him, the warmth in his body, the pleasant smell of fresh strawberries, the feeling of something soft pressed against his lips, the- Wait, what?

Suddenly, Jared's eyes burst open like an erupting volcano and he found himself staring wide-eyed at a young woman around his age, who seemed to be performing mouth-to-mouth on him. Had she saved him? Well, his common sense was practically yelling the answer back at him but right now he was too stunned to really notice. After all, if Jared was anything, he was never very confident around the opposite sex. Already his face had turned a bright crimson from the realization of what exactly was going on.

"Ah! Sumimasen! You're already awake…" she spoke softly as she pulled away, allowing him to sit up now that she wasn't leaning over him.

Getting a better look at her, the first thing that came to his mind when he looked at her was the word 'Noble'. She wore an elegant red kimono decorated with the designs of pink cherry blossoms spread across it. She also wore a golden kanzashi her long, silky black hair whilst on her feet were a pair of plain white tabi. Overall, she had a look that Jared would associate with a noble's daughter or something of the sort. Although, given the fact her clothes were wet, clinging to her form, it looked like she had just taken a swim. Jared was sure she had just done so.

"Well, are you gonna speak? I mean, I kinda expected a 'thank you' for my work in saving you…" she spoke again, looking at Jared expectantly, a small smile etched on her face.

"Oh, th-thanks… Um…"

"It's Saiko. Kawakami Saiko" she answered, smiling at him and at the same time oblivious to his obvious nervous state. "Might I know who you are? Actually, never mind that. I need to get going. The Kami know just how long those guys have been waiting… I'll see you again later!" she spoke as she stood back up, turning on her heels and walking back down a past through the green forest near the sandy beach. For the longest time, Jared simply sat there, not quite sure what exactly to do. It wasn't often you almost died, got rescued and were left abandoned by the rescuer without any answers after all.

* * *

"Geez, talk about weird. First I almost drown, then some woman in kimono comes and saves me. Maybe Karma _is _on my side today…" Jared muttered to himself quietly as he waited within the rather nice-looking restaurant. As it turned out, the entire island had a feudal-age look about it, with wooden houses that had sliding paper doors and, from what he could see, tatami mats on the ground inside. The tables were also fairly low and lacked chairs, causing Jared to have to kneel down.

Soon enough though, his waiting had ended as a warm bowl of ramen had been placed down in front of him, ready for him to eat. Taking the chopsticks and splitting them evenly, he smirked and began to eat, evidently rather hungry from the time he had spent unconscious thinking he was dead. Luckily, while on the beach, he found that his guitar was completely safe and undamaged, which only seemed to indicate the thought that Karma was with him was indeed a correct one. A nice change from how his morning had begun.

As he slurped up some of his noodles eagerly, he could not help but take notice that the people at the table behind him were talking about something, their voices loud enough for him to hear. He assumed the loudness was due to alcohol thanks to the slurring of the words. However, since it had nothing to do with him, he didn't really listen to what was said. He didn't really care about drunken ramblings, after all. Who would? However, he did hear the words "Woman", "Samurai" and "country". Normally this would have still meant nothing to him, but the fact that he also heard the words "Take-over!", he couldn't help himself. Curious, he began to listen whilst eating his ramen, quieting the slurping of the noodles so that he may listen.

"Thisss'll be perrrfect!" the drunken man slurred, cackling to himself.

"Quiet, idiot! Ya have ta whisssper!" his friend berated, unfortunately no quieter than he.

"I know, I know, but still! Mikami-dono'sh plan ish almost complete! It'll be perfect! And when she completes her part in the plan, Hakumei Country will be changed forevar!" both let out a laugh at this point, caught up in their own little inside joke of sorts regardless of the odd stares the two brought upon themselves.

But as the two laughed eagerly to themselves, Jared had decided he had heard quite enough exposition. Finishing his ramen noodles, he left his money on the table and quickly ran out the door of the restaurant, ready to warn someone of what he had just heard.

* * *

"Sai-chan…" came a quiet, sickly voice. The voice belonged to a woman who was currently in her home, lying down beneath a thick, fluffy blanket. She was in her mid-forties and had long, somewhat untidy black hair worn long and was garbed in a silky, white kimono with a Cherry Blossoms pattern decorating it.

The much younger girl she was speaking to was across the room, about to leave through the sliding door. However, stopping to turn and look towards the aged woman, she gave her a small smile. The girl had long, black hair much like the older woman and wore an emerald kimono with golden hakama, as well as a milky-white obi sash, tabi on her feet and a light-viridian haori with white lining. In her obi sash was a single katana with a red-orange scabbard and red-orange hilt-wrapping, with ivory wood forming the hilt. The guard was the most noticeably different part of the katana though, as at one end, close to the back of the blade, it extended outwards, forming a brush-shaped ornament much like a fox's tail. Overall, this girl looked like a sort of female samurai. However, this was no ordinary female samurai. It was Kawakami Saiko.

"Yes, Kaa-chan?" she asked, her voice light to accompany her smile.

"Promise me you'll be fine, won't you?" the sickly pale woman responded with her own question, concern in her eyes despite the illness she appeared to be afflicted with.

"Honestly Kaa-chan, it's not like there's gonna be a war anytime soon. It's not like a Samurai experiences trouble every day of her life, is it?" she replied, beaming to her mother. She let out a small chuckle.

"Of course not" her mother answered, smiling amusedly before she turned her head back to stare at the ceiling, closing her eyes shut as she did so. With a few quiet steps before sliding the door gently to a close, Saiko left the side of her mother, ready to start the day that would change her forever.

* * *

**Shinobi-dono: Heya! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I'm really proud of it actually, since it perfectly sets the stage for everything that'll show up in the next few chapters.**

**Also, interesting note, Saiko is based on the famous Hitokiri Kawakami Gensai, who in turn is the inspiration for Himura Kenshin! Pretty useless information, but I hope you liked it Gensai is also the inspiration for other characters too, such as Kawakami Bansai from Gintama, so if you haven't heard of Rurouni Kenshin, then maybe that'll make you say 'Oh, cool!'. Anyways, I'm rambling. See ya'll soon, and don't forget to review!**

**Edit: Here ya go, the second rewritten chapter of New Voyage! Aren't I generous?**


	3. Deception

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Jared sighed to himself. The small island nation he was on was in danger and none of them knew it. And not only that but soon after learning of the plot, he realized that he alone was powerless to make a difference. Why? Simple.

He was wanted.

Everyone would know him as Jared de Danser. Maybe not casual people in the streets, but surely the leader of this nation or his subordinates, who would be allies of the World Government, would realize it. Warning them would result in his execution.

So how to alert them? The question plagued his mind for a while. It would be difficult. Get a disguise? Nah, that wouldn't work. The people of the town probably all knew each other. Set up a scene where it looked like he was a member of the group planning it and then escape? Nah, he didn't even know who his enemy was.

Get someone else to tell the people? Interesting, but no. After all, how would he convince someone that it was happening? If they recognized him, or they later found out who he was, they'd probably try to bring him in and think it was a hoax.

But wait! He knew one person who might help! That girl, Saiko! She'd probably believe him! She seemed friendly enough, so maybe it'd work! After all, even though he _was _shy around girls to the point of blushing just when looking at them, surely he could tell her something like this! This was perfectly falling into place! Now he just had to find her…

Meanwhile…

"Wow, the streets seem really busy today…" muttered the Samurai woman known as Saiko as she wandered down the street in her Samurai garb. Unlike earlier, she no longer wore the kanzashi in her hair, allowing it to flow down loose. One hand lazily resting on her sword's hilt, she walked through the streets as she made her way to work. That is, the Palace of the Shogun.

It was during this time that she found herself walking down a back alley, a short cut of hers, which in turn led her to an almost-empty street. Almost empty, because one familiar face was currently running down the street. Immediately recognizing the guy, she gave him a warm smile and spoke.

"Konnichiwa, nameless friend" she spoke. Just as she spoke this, he instantly skidded right past her before crashing into a fruit stand.

"Ouch…" She muttered, watching the scene unfold. Although, Jared was immediately back on his feet, looking as if he had something of the utmost importance to tell her.

"Saiko-ChanIhavesomethingoftheutmostimportancetotellyou!!" he spoke quickly, both out of nervousness and out of a desire to inform her as immediately as possible.

"Yes…?" she asked, confused.

"Saiko-ch-chan… Th-this is u-urgent! When I w-was in a re-restaurant… I o-overheard these t-two guys s-speaking abou-about s-something to do with ch-changing this country! It didn't s-sound l-like they w-were friendly ei-either! C-could you w-warn the Sh-shogun f-for me?!" he exclaimed to her, inwardly cursing his shy attitude around women.

For a moment, Saiko looked shocked, her eyes widened greatly. However, as he finished telling her about it, her eyes shrunk back to their normal size and a look of calmness took over her features once more.

Slowly, in her normal, soft tone, she spoke again.

"Don't worry" she said with a smile. "I'll make sure the Shogun knows this. Thanks to you, I'm sure he'll be safe. Farewell, Nameless friend…" she told him as she began walking away. Jared, satisfied at last, began to walk in the opposite direction, heading back to the beach where he washed up.

"I hope you leave before you have to suffer from the troubles my actions cause…" she muttered to herself as she walked, a sour look on her face as she walked.

"Heh, you're quite an actress. Who'd think that you were the kind of person to sell out your own coun-" started a man who stood in an alleyway leading onto the street where she walked, only to be cut off as Saiko drew her blade and pressed it against his throat.

"Don't you dare say that!" she spoke, her expression now one of anger. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"Oh? Are you sure you should threaten the great Muraki-sama?" asked the man. He bore the look of a samurai, with a purple kimono tucked into black hakama and with a standard katana in his gold obi sash. His face was that of a man in his late twenties, with stubble on his chin and thick eyebrows. A smug grin was on his face and made no attempt to leave.

"We both know that you're powerless against us. And even if you had the chance to go against us, you would be struck down by Mikami-dono's katana anyway" he spoke, not once showing fear for his life. In fact, these words alone had made Saiko retract her blade and sheath it, although her face still bore anger.

"Just remember; Today, you throw away your Bushido and your country for the sake of the Shishi Gang!"

--

'_Hm, I feel like I'm missing something, but what? It seems strange. Like there was something I overlooked. But the town should be safe. No, it IS safe. I'm just thinking too much about it. It's not like-'_ Suddenly, Jared stopped thinking. _'Female Samurai! They mentioned something about a female Samurai! But female Samurai aren't exactly common. In fact, of all the people with swords at their belts that I've seen today, the only one who was female was…'_

Jared stopped again, shaking his head. There was no way it could be true! He may have not known her long, but Jared was confident that Saiko wasn't a bad person! He could feel it! But… What if it were against her will? Maybe…

"Shit! I've got to find the Shogun!" he cursed before running back to the town, hoping he could get there on time.

--

"It took you a while to get here, Kawakami-san. Any trouble?" the voice asked. The voice belonged to a man in his late twenties with black hair in a top knot wearing a pair of glasses and very royal-looking clothes, in particular a light-blue and white kimono with a wave-like design.

"It's nothing. You're meant to make you speech to the people today, right?" Saiko asked.

"Ah yes, of course. It's best we don't keep them waiting. Come, Saiko. As my personal bodyguard, I hope you do your best to protect my life no matter how dangerous the foe" he told her as he walked past, getting ready for his speech.

"Of course, Shogun-sama…" she spoke, a slightly sad tone in her voice. And with that, she followed him closely, hand resting on her Katana's hilt at all times.

**Shinobi-dono: Heya! I hope you enjoyed this one! Getting a bit intense, isn't it? Just what is the plan of this Shishi Gang? These questions shall be answered… Next chapter. Until then, review!**


	4. Past and Present, Deciding the Future!

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

The Shogun watched with a smile on his face from the first floor balcony of his palace as his people flocked to the square his balcony overlooked to see and hear him as he gave his speech today. For a long time, street crime was a threat to the peacefulness of his glorious nation. At least to him it was glorious, however small it was. The current police weren't enough in his opinion. This city needed a new law-enforcement group to help them. And he was going to give it to them when he announced it in his speech.

Saiko, on the other hand, had been nervous all morning. Her orders were to kill the noble man she had served so long in front of all these people. It would be a very hard blow to the nation and she knew it. And yet, she couldn't back out of it, no matter how dishonourable. No matter how painful. She couldn't. How long ago had it been? How long since she sealed her fate? Memories flashed through her mind, plaguing her like an incurable disease…

_**Flashback – Six Years**_

_Panting loudly, the young girl in Samurai garb raced through the streets as fast as she could. How could she have been so stupid? This was her first day! She couldn't have afforded to be late, even if they did respect her! She may have gotten the job by completing her training in swordsmanship in only two years and defeating her sensei, but even so if she made a bad impression there was no doubt they'd fire her!_

_Soon enough, she had found it: The palace. She hoped she wasn't late. Today was the day she was to become a guardian of the palace!_

_Bursting in through the door, panting, she failed to notice until a few seconds later that the eyes of everyone in the room were on her; including the Shogun and his Chief-of-Security, a man in his late twenties who wore his long, dark hair in a top knot and had a scar running down the left side of his face, who wore a red kimono top with brown hakama and tabi. _

_At first, as the two stared at her oddly, Saiko felt as if she were guilty for some crime, having arrived late and disturbing their talk. However, a second later, the Chief started to chuckle._

"_You're the new child, right?Nice to meet you. I'm the Chief-of-Security, Mikami Shusuke. From now on, you will serve under me to protect the nation – Shogun Moribiki-Sama. Understood?" his voice was kind and gentle, easing Saiko's nerves._

"_Understood, Mikami-senpai"_

_**Fast Forward Three Years**_

_"This country is crying, Saiko"_

_"Crying?"_

_"Yes. Our once glorious nation ruled the entire South Blue with an iron fist. But as time passed, we lost this power and became weak. And to this day, it continues to weep in anger at it's weakness. I want to change that"_

_"Change it?"_

_"That's right. One day, I'll become the leader of this nation. And on that day, our nation will cry tears of joy"_

_**Fast Forward Six Months**_

_"You little bitch! I'll kill you!"_

_"Stop it Mikami! Have you lost your Bushido?! Once upon a time you were a kind person who did the best thing for our country! Where have your morals gone?!"_

_"Don't you see? This is what's best! This country is weak! You're weak, Moribiki! As long as you're Shogun, this land will never gain it's strength back!"_

_"Take him away!"_

_"Moribiki-sama?"_

_"Yes, Saiko-chan?"_

_"Was I right to rat him out? Was he right about this country?"_

_"Saiko-chan… As long as one follows his or her Bushido, I think it is alright…"_

_**Fast Forward Two Years**_

_"Please! Mikami! Don't hurt her! My mother is all I have left! She is ill! Is there no other way I can make up for imprisoning you so long ago?!"_

"… _There is one…"_

"_Name it!"_

"_You must kill… The Shogun"_

_**Present Time**_

'So this is it… For the sake of my mother, I'm going to kill the Shogun…' Saiko thought, staring at the back of the Shogun as her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.

"… And so, today, I shall introduce a new police force to deal with these problems! We will still need some recruits, but…" the Shogun spoke, but Saiko wasn't really listening. There was too much on her mind. It was so stressful! Should she go ahead? Should she really do it? It was the only way to save her mother.

Slowly, just as Saiko was about to draw her blade, it happened.

At first, Saiko was unaware what was going on. But suddenly, the balcony blew up from beneath their feet, with both her and the Shogun falling from where it once stood. Immediately people in the square where panicking and racing around the square in fear. But suddenly, she saw a blur racing through the debris and suddenly, it caught both her and the Shogun before jumping back onto the ground and putting her down, yet keeping the Shogun with it. As it ran away, Saiko's eyes widened as she suddenly recognized it.

"It's that guy! The guy I saved!"

--

As fate would have it, Muraki had been assigned to keep his eye on the Shogun from the square itself. And throughout the entire speech, Muraki waited for it to happen. For Saiko to kill the Shogun.

As a result, he found himself surprised beyond belief as one kid ran straight up to the palace, leapt up, and with one kick managed to destroy the balcony. And not only that, but the boy saved Saiko and the Shogun from the fall and ran off with the Shogun.

But that didn't get rid of Muraki's smirk. No, if anything, his smirk grew.

"Lion to cub, has the plan worked?"

Muraki smirked again as he heard his Ko Den Den Mushi spoke up and raised it up to his mouth to reply.

"Not exactly. The Shogun isn't dead and Saiko isn't a traitor, but it doesn't matter. The people are scared and the guards are confused. Our surprise attack can begin"

"Perfect. And Muraki?"

"Yes?"

"Kill Saiko"

"Very well then. I'll take care of it immediately"

--

In the meantime, Jared was currently running through the woods with the Shogun over his shoulder, thereby saving his life and kidnapping him at the same time.

"Put me down!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"What if I give you money?"

"No!"

"Political power?"

"No!"

"… Women?"

"N-No!"

As one could tell, Jared was getting annoyed with his own plan.

--

"I can't believe it! How did he know what I'd do? Did he hear more from those guys than he let on? Maybe…"

"Maybe indeed. Of course, that doesn't matter now does it? By the end of the day, Mikami-dono's 'Shishi Gang' shall rule Hakumei!"

Eyes widening, Saiko turned around to see Muraki standing there, blade drawn and ready to fight. That smirk of his remained on his face the entire time. With a frown on her face, Saiko gripped her blade's hilt tightly.

"What do you want?"

"Your head. Kawakami Saiko, this is your last day on Earth!"

**Shinobi-dono: Well, there you have it! I hope you liked that chapter! It's my first time putting a flashback in a story, if I remember correctly. But that's not really important. The important thing is, next time we get to see the fight between Saiko and Muraki! I hope you like it. Anyways, until then, review!**


	5. Goddess of Speed! Saiko's Bushido!

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

--

All around the square, the sounds of swords clashing could be heard as the Shishi Gang, a group of rebel Samurai, began fighting the Palace Guard. In the midst of the confusion, this had come as a surprise as the Guards were focused on finding the Shogun rather than looking for any threats.

In particular, two Samurai clashed blades in front of the wreckage that was the destroyed balcony. With each clash, things got more intense between the two, who were both more than ready to hack at the other.

With a swift slash, Muraki had managed to draw blood from Saiko by cutting her cheek, leaving a horizontal cut. However, in the aftermath of his attack, he too was cut as Saiko brought her blade up, cutting his cheek vertically as he moved backwards to try and dodge.

Quickly following up, she turned her blade back around and swung downwards diagonally. This time however, he was quick to block by swinging his blade up. For a moment, the two were stuck in a bladelock. However, this was quickly ended as Muraki re-adjusted his sword and thrust it forwards, managing to stab into her side. With a grunt of pain, Saiko quickly pushed the blade away using her blade to push against the guard and move the sword back out.

"Heh, you're pretty good, Saiko-chan…" he spoke first, his fingers tracing the blade until they reached her blood, at which point he brought his fingers to his mouth and licked the blood off of one of his fingers, a sadistic grin on his face. "But too inexperienced. You're a young girl, not a real Samurai. I bet your father would be ashamed of you…"

"Shut up!" Saiko yelled, her eyes piercing into him. "It doesn't matter how experienced you are… I'll still beat you!"

"Oh? Then prove it!"

Once again, the two began clashing swords quickly, neither one giving an inch. It was amazing to watch. It was as if they had choreographed the entire fight, as if they had done the exact same thing thousands of times before. However, the clash eventually ended as Muraki sidestepped a thrust and thrust his own blade back, managing to stab into her side yet again.

"Ah!" she gasped in pain, unable to withstand the pain. That was three times he had drawn blood now. She had only drawn blood once, and that was a cut on the cheek. Once again Muraki grinned, twisting the blade around for further pain before yanking it out, letting Saiko fall to her knees and clutch her wound.

"Heh, pathetic. And here I was expecting something more from you. Is this really all you got? Then again, I guess I shouldn't have expected more from you. Poor, pitiful, little you. Should I put you out of your misery?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he raised his sword. However, her reaction was not what he expected.

"Pitiful? That belongs to you, Muraki… For the sake of your dream, you've thrown away your Bushido and your pride. You're nothing but a beast with a sword..."

That had done it. Muraki's expression changed quickly, turning into one of rage as he gripped his sword tightly.

"Shut up!!" he yelled, swinging his blade down and managing to actually break the ground with the sheer force of his attack. However, as the dust settled, he found that Saiko was already gone. Eyes widened, he began searching frantically for her amongst the square, until the familiar feel of a blade passing through his insides woke him up.

Saiko quickly skidded to a halt as she finished her attack on Muraki, having managed to cut deep into his side. She turned around, getting a good view of him as he clutched his wound, howling in pain.

He soon turned around however and sent her a fierce glare, looking absolutely pissed.

"Bitch! I'm going to kill you!"

Immediately, he began to run towards her, blade readied, and let out a loud battle cry as he closed in, ready to kill.

Saiko however was not scared. No, in the time he started running towards her, she slowly sheathed her blade before assuming a Battoujutsu stance, crouching slightly as she kept a grip on her sword. There was a brief pause as it seemed, with time slowing down as the two slowly came together. What came next happened so fast it was almost impossible to follow with one's eyes.

A sword swinging through the air. The drawing of a sword. A clash. The sound of two things skidding to a halt. Then, silence.

"Damn you… bitch…" Muraki spoke finally, blood spurting out of a wound on his shoulder.

As for Saiko, a cut opened up on her cheek, making an 'X' shape on her cheek with her other cut.

"Sorry but… As long as I protect the thing I need to protect, I will always be as strong as I need to be" she spoke, sheathing her blade.

"And the thing… to protect… is…?" he asked.

For a moment, she was silent. However, she quickly turned around, exclaiming loudly, "The country!"

"Well shit…." Were his last words before Muraki, unable to cope with the wounds, fell to the ground, defeated.

For a moment, Saiko looked at her defeated opponent. But not long after, she turned her head back around and smiled.

"Banzai!" she exclaimed, pumping her fists up into the air. Having won the match, she couldn't help but feel glad. However, remembering what was going on, she quickly looked around. "I beat Muraki but… I still need to help the others…"

"A shame then that I'm going to end this battle"

Saiko froze. That voice… She recognized it well. Turning her head around, she saw her old Senpai, Mikami Shusuke. He wasn't much different, but his face was aged slightly and he wore a golden pelt that was reminiscent of a lion's mane. And not only that, but his hair was now free flowing instead of being in it's old topknot.

"Surprised to see me? I came here expecting the war to be over, but imagine my surprise when I find you having beaten Muraki. Not only that, but your men seem to be fighting off mine quite well…"

"What do you want?!"

"The strength of the nation, of course" he spoke, drawing his blade. Before he could fully draw it however, Saiko had suddenly became a blur as Saiko closed the distance between them instantly and swung her blade.

Sadly, the lightning-fast attack failed to hit home as Mikami sidestepped the blade and kicked her in the stomach, making her cough up blood and fall backwards, landing on her back.

"Pathetic. One kick to the stomach and you go down" he spoke, pulling his blade out finally. "I will give you some credit however. I had no idea you could use **Tenjin Hippou**…"

"You sonofa… Aiming for my wounds…"

"It is best to end things quickly, ne? That means killing you quickly and defeating the Samurai around you, too. Now, as I believe Muraki told you, die"

With that, he immediately swung his blade down, hoping to split her in two. This time Saiko was too weak to dodge, and could only watch in horror as the blade came closer.

"Asshole!" came a yell as suddenly, and unexpectedly, Jared leapt in the way of the attack and kicked Mikami's sword-wrist, preventing the blade from getting any closer. Placing one hand on the ground, Jared quickly flipped himself over, pushing the blade to the side with his foot as he did so and, to Saiko's astonishment, delivered a powerful reverse-roundhouse kick to Mikami's face!

"**Jazz Armada!**" he yelled as Mikami took the kick full force, flying through the air before eventually landing on the ground a few feet away. But what Saiko couldn't help but notice was that just as the leg hit, it suddenly shook violently. Well, not exactly shook, but…

"Who the hell are you?!" yelled Mikami as he got up, ignoring the large bruise on his face as he stared at the rebellious teen, who currently had a look of defiance on his face.

"I'm Jared de Danser, eater of the Hibi Hibi no Mi! I'm a sound man!"

Shinobi-dono: Hope you enjoyed that chapter! I worked hard on the fight scenes, since I'm kinda new to writing fight scenes. Hopefully you liked it . Anyways, for those seeking an explanation for the attacks, here it is!

**Tenjin Hippou (Sky God Flying Step): A high-speed movement technique that Saiko has perfected, it is performed by crouching low while running at top speed, allowing one to move at high speeds. A very risky technique that only allows one to move in a straight line.**

**Jazz Armada: A reverse roundhouse kick that is either performed standing up or in a handstand of sorts. Jared modifies this by using his Hibi Hibi no Mi powers over vibration to vibrate his leg rapidly. Since sound is vibration, this is possible. It is also capable of leaving a burn.**

**And now for a technique used in the first chapter!**

**Bluegrass Meia-Lua de Compasso: ****This is basically an evasive maneuver combined with a spinning kick, with the kicking leg being vibrated rapidly using Jared's Devil Fruit.**


	6. Finale! Samurai vs Pirate!

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

"So, you're the 'Dancing Pirate'…"

"You're… a pirate?"

Both Saiko and Mikami had their eyes fixed on Jared, who by this time had assumed a proper fighting stance, ready to fight Mikami. His serious expression showed all that he wasn't messing around.

"Why are you here, pirate? Afraid this country will gain it's power back? Or-"

"Shut up" Jared cut him off, glaring at Mikami. "I don't really know anything about this island, I'll admit, but there is one thing I do know…"

"And that is…?"

Jared smirked, and suddenly he assumed a new stance which looked like he was skating on the spot, moving his foot back and then bringing it back forwards before moving the other foot back in a triangular pattern.

"Since Saiko saved my life, I'm going to repay the debt!"

"You're doing this… For me?" Saiko spoke up, a look of surprise on her face. Immediately Jared faulted, his face going red. Turning his head, he began to speak.

"Well… Y-you s-see…"

Jared immediately stopped however as the sword was swung at him, forcing him to jump to the left to avoid it.

"Don't ignore me!" Mikami yelled at him before pivoting on the spot and swinging his blade at Jared again. Jared quickly ducked this time, avoiding the blade, and quickly outstretched his leg, delivering a forwards frontal push kick whilst using his vibration powers to vibrate the leg rapidly as it landed on Mikami's mid-section.

"**Rock Bencáo**!" Jared yelled as the kick connected, knocking Mikami backwards. However, Mikami kept his ground and instead only skidded backwards. Growling under his breath, Mikami quickly ran towards Jared and swung his blade, only for Jared to sidestep it and swing his leg again. However, Mikami ducked the leg and swung again, forcing Jared to hop up to avoid the attack for his legs. However, now in the air, he was wide open.

"**Shofu**!" Mikami announced, leaping upwards while swinging the blade up and spinning at the same time, catching Jared across the chest as he swung the blade. Falling back, Jared landed and clutched his chest. However, seeing Mikami land and come again, he quickly jumped back as Mikami attempted to stab him. Following this up, Jared quickly directed a snap kick for Mikami's face whilst using his devil fruit powers to vibrate his leg."**Metal Ponteira**!" he announced the name of this attack, but sadly it failed to hit home as Mikami managed to pivot on the spot and swing his blade around again.

"You lose!" he yelled as he swung his blade, once again managing to catch Jared by slicing open his side. Letting out a yell in pain, Jared fell to the ground, clutching his new wound. Mikami watched as he writhed in pain, smirking to himself.

"Jared!" yelled Saiko, her eyes widened as she watched the scene before her.

"See what's happened? Just to repay a debt, you've condemned yourself. I praise you for your honour, but isn't this a bit far? Isn't this too much?" Mikami asked, raising a brow. "I'll admit, you've got talent. Twice now you've hit me, and those kicks of your hurt. Then again, you did kick down the balcony, so I guess it's to be expected. But even so, you are far younger! Far more inexperienced! And that inexperience will-"

Sadly, he was once again cut off as Jared leapt up and kicked him square in the face, knocking him backwards through the air before he landed again a few feet away. Cracking his neck, Jared walked forwards.

"Tch, idiot. I said earlier to shut up, didn't I? If my resolve wasn't strong, do you think I would've fought you? I'm _going_ to defeat you and I'm_ going _to save this land!" Jared announced, assuming the strange stance again which resembled him skating on the spot.

"With this **Ginga Blues** stance, I'll show you the difference between you and me!" Jared announced, watching as Mikami got up and wiped away some blood from his face.

"Defeat me? Boy… I'll show you just how wrong you are! **Mikami-Ryuu Ougi: Shishi Zangeki!**" Mikami yelled, running towards Jared at top speed.

Just as he came close and attempted to attack with his ougi however, Jared suddenly ducked below Mikami's sword, as if expecting exactly what was going to happen.

"**Jazz Armada…**" he started, twisting his body and once again landing a vibrating reverse-roundhouse kick to the side of Mikami's head.

Mikami howled in pain, but Jared wasn't done yet. Hopping off his back leg, he swung it around before his kicking leg had even landed and hit Mikami with a roundhouse kick using a vibrated leg.

"… **Com Martelo!!**" he finished as the kick landed perfectly, knocking Mikami straight through the air and crashing into the debris of the balcony. There was no doubt about it: Mikami was defeated.

"Jared… That… That was amazing! You were amazing! Jared! Jared?" Saiko suddenly stared at Jared, only to see that his face had gone red from embarrassment and he was currently looking away, too nervous to answer. Saiko simply laughed.

The Next Day...

In the aftermath of the rebellion, all was well. The rebellion had failed, thanks to low morale on the rebels' side due to the defeat of their leader and his second-in-command. The Shogun was found tied to a tree, safe and sound, and Jared was once again on the beach, ready to set out using a dinghy he had been given as thanks for his actions. Of course, being a pirate, he couldn't stay. Still, he didn't really plan on it so it worked out well for him.

Saiko meanwhile…

"How are you doing, Kaa-chan?"

"I'm fine, dear. The doctor says I'm getting better. Pretty soon I'll be able to walk again"

"That's good…"

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Kaa-chan…"

"It's alright. I don't mind. Go. Go find him"

"… I will"

--

"Well, time to set out, I guess. It was nice of them to give me some supplies before I set out again…" Jared muttered as he pushed the small boat out, about to leave the island probably for good. However, before he set out, he suddenly noticed something in the distance. On closer inspection, he realized just who it was.

"S-Saiko-ch-chan?!" he asked, flustered and nervous.

"Jared! Wait!" she spoke. She was once again wearing her pink kimono with the golden kanzashi in her hair. However, she now had her sheathed katana in one hand and a large bag in the other.

"Wh-what are you d-doing here? Sh-shouldn't you b-be b-back in t-town resting? And wh-what's with th-the bag?" Jared asked, a look of confusion on his face. He became even more puzzled when she smiled at him.

"I'm going to join your pirate crew!"

Jared's jaw suddenly dropped as she said those words. They weren't exactly the one's he expected. Before he could ask "What?!" however, she spoke up.

"Long ago, my father left the island… I want to know what happened to him! My dream is to one day meet him again and learn the truth of what happened on that day when I lost him! So please… Let me join you! I don't know why but… I feel like if I join you, I can learn the truth of what happened! So please, let me-" she stopped however as she noticed that he had grabbed her bag and suddenly placed it in his boat.

"Come" he spoke in a quiet voice. With a smile, she got in the boat after him and the two sailed out into the great sea, beginning their journey towards the Grand Line.

**Shinobi-dono: Heya guys! Did you like the finale to the Shishi Gang arc? I hope you did, otherwise I've wasted my time . Anyways, please review. And for those interested, here's the attack names and their description:**

**Rock Bencáo: A forwards frontal push kick. Like with his other attacks, Jared empowers this technique by vibrating his leg rapidly to do extra damage.**

**Metal Ponteira: A snap kick performed at high speeds that Jared strengthens using his devil fruit powers. **

**Jazz Armada com Martelo: An improved version of the Jazz Armada, this attack combines a reverse roundhouse with a regular roundhouse kick performed using both legs, first for the reverse roundhouse and the second leg for the regular one.**

**Ginga Blues: A fighting stance resembling a person skating on the spot. Using his vibration powers, Jared can use his repeated steps on the ground to detect vibrations in the earth to predict his opponent's moves. Does not work on airborne foes.**

**Shofu (Rising Wind): An attack where the user leaps upwards, swinging his blade whilst spinning around for extra damage.**

**Shishi Zangeki (Lion Slash): A swift slashing attack. Due to Jared's Ginga Blues detecting his opponent's movements, this attack remains unseen.**


	7. Meeting the Dragoon

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Jared let out a yawn as the sun slowly rose up, shining brightly to signal the start of a new day. Jared, however, was annoyed that it was ruining his sleep. Saiko, amazingly, had already gotten up and was looking out into the sea.

"So… Where are we going?"

"N-No idea…"

Such was the conversation they had. Between Jared's shyness and Saiko's slow adaption to the life of a pirate, their conversations were always short and followed by awkward silence.

"Well… What was that fighting style you used? It was kinda like a dance…"

"It's c-called B-**Battle Anthem**… M-My master is th-the c-creator…"

"Cool…"

"Wh-what about y-you? Wh-what's y-your fighting sty-yle?"

"Oh! You probably didn't know, but I practice **Shinsokuryuu**! It's a fighting style based around high-speed movement, utilizing the **Tenjin Hippou**…" she rambled on, filling up the silence. At least it was better than no talking at all. However, in all honesty, he wasn't really listening. No, too many thoughts were going through his head, especially 'God it's so awkward being at sea with a woman all by yourself…'. Oh how terrible life was to poke fun at his shy disposition around girls.

"Look out!" Jared suddenly snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see some kind of giant sea-snake-like monster, jaws open and ready to swallow him whole. This was bad. He had nowhere to move on the dinghy. And at sea, he was powerless. Only one shot.

"Here it go-"

"**Aerial!**" yelled an unknown voice. Jared watched in amazement as a youth suddenly leapt up, spear held tightly in his hands, and thrust the spear tip into the body of the Sea King, making it howl in pain. Thrashing back and forth, it eventually managed to throw the youth off of it, but not without the youth yanking out the spear first.

With a splash, the youth landed in the water, where the Sea King soon followed, hoping to swallow him whole.

"He's going to be eaten!"

"Crap!"

Before the two could do anything however, they watched as the youth flew up out of the water and landed on the deck of a fishing boat, several wounds covering his body. However, a second later, the Sea King also rose up, roaring in pain again as Jared saw a spear sticking out of it's body once again. With one more yell, it turned to the fishing boat where the youth now stood on the deck and a second later, it sunk back into the sea, retreating for now.

Saiko and Jared merely stared as the youth asked them if they were alright.

--

"So… Your name is Kain?"

"Yes"

"And you fight Sea Kings?"

"_A _Sea King, yes"

The youth, as he stated, was named Kain and was the sole inhabitant of the island. This wasn't too surprising as the island was mostly beach with a few palm trees in the middle, and a bamboo hut in the very center where the three were now.

Kain had a rather unusual appearance. In his late teens, he had a head of spiky white hair and wore a ragged, green, short-sleeved shirt and ragged blue jeans. Under the shirt, which was untucked, was a red sash. On his left ear was a diamond-shaped earring.

"So…" Jared started.

"Look, just go ahead and ask. I really don't care if you ask" Kain finally spoke.

"What's with hunting the Sea King? I mean, is it in the way of fishing or something?" Jared asked, curious. It was not everyday you saw someone who was willing and able to hunt a Sea King, even if it was a small one.

"It's a long story, but I'm sure you have the time to listen. You see, it all began long ago…"

_**Flashback Ten Years**_

"_Kain! KAIN! Get in here, brat!"_

"_Yeah yeah… What's going on?"_

"_It's time for the fishing, baka! We're running low on our stocks! You know how important the fish are to us!"_

"_Geez, getting worked up over me sleeping in… You sure you haven't given up pirating?"_

"_Oi! That was only _before_ I met your mother! And I'll have you know I was always easily-irritated!"_

"_So you admit it?"_

"… _Smart-ass kid…"_

_And so father and son went out to the sea, bickering all the way. But they did not care how much they bickered. Despite the fact that they never showed it, the two were close as could be. That was why today of all days would turn the life of a young boy named Kain upside down forever._

You're narrating your backstory?

_Shut up!_

**Shinobi-dono: There ya go! With this chapter, I introduce a new character: Kain! While you wait for the next chapter, try and guess where his name comes from! Go on, guess! Oh, and don't forget to review!**

**Battle Anthem: Jared's signature fighting style, although it was created by his master. It resembles real-world Capoeira and, in Jared's case, incorporates Devil Fruit powers to vibrate the legs to increase the damage of the attacks. Most, if not all techniques are named after styles of music.**

**Shinsokuryuu (God-Speed-Style): A form of Ittouryuu that Saiko specializes in. It focuses on high-speed movement, with the Tenjin Hippou technique being strongly emphasized. Most, if not all techniques are named after Shinto Gods. **

**Aerial: A Spear technique used by Kain, it consists of leaping into the air and thrusting down the spearhead, combining gravity and one's own force to increase the power of the thrust. It's his signature attack.**


	8. The Dragoon's Grudge!

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

_**Flashback Ten Years Cont.**_

_"Haha! A perfect catch…"_

"_Too bad I won! I have the most fish!"_

"_Like hell ya did! You just stole some of mine!"_

"_You calling me a liar, geezer?!"_

"_Damn straight, liar!"_

_The two were, as always, arguing with each other. Bickering over the smallest things. That was the relationship they had. But as they bickered, neither was aware that something new had moved into the island's waters…_

"_ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!"_

_The two stopped, caught off guard by the sudden roar. Panicking, the two looked around frantically, searching for the beast, unaware that it was slowly rising from the water behind them. It was only at the last second did the young boy see it coming._

"_There it is!" the boy yelled, frightened as it closed in, only to be pushed aside by the father as the beast came. And amazingly, he had managed to grab it's jaws in his hands, preventing it from getting any closer and biting him._

"_Damn sea-snake… Got to hell!"_

_With a powerful kick to the jaw, the Sea King fell back, yelling in pain as the father ran towards it. However, as he leapt up, the Sea King whipped it's tail at him, knocking him back onto the deck of his boat, and quickly darted for the kid while he was recovering._

"_Kain!"_

"_Aaaaaaah!"_

_What happened next would haunt the kid for the rest of his life. Having been unable to move out of the way quickly enough, the father instead jumped in the way, allowing him to be pierced by the numerous teeth of the Sea King as he held it back, coughing up blood._

"_Father… FATHER!"_

"_Kain… You're not such a bad kid… Ack!"_

_With the Sea King moving it's head back, yanking it's teeth out, the father fell to the ground, limp and nearing death._

"_Tch… Looks like this is the end… Of 'Richard the Great Lance'… Farewell, son…"_

_With that, the father died. And the son, grief stricken, grabbed a nearby harpoon and roared as loud as he could, a battle cry that could scare the greatest of warriors before leaping forth to fight the beast who took his father…_

**Present Time**

"… When I woke up, I was on the beach, covered in wounds. I was lucky. If it hadn't have been for the unexpected storm that day, the Sea King would've followed me and eaten me whole… I devoted the rest of my life to killing that beast, giving up on my old dream of sailing the Grand Line…" Kain finished his tale.

"You wanted to sail the Grand Line?" Jared asked, curious.

"Yeah. I'm an expert navigator. My dad taught me all he knows…"

"That's great! We'd love to have a navigator like you!" Saiko spoke up.

"Hm? Navigator? Who are you guys, anyway?"

"We're pirates!" Saiko chimed happily.

"I see… Well, you might want to get another Navigator then. I'm not leaving the island till I kill that Sea King…"

"How do you plan to do that? It took your spear, remember?" Jared added, noting how the Sea King left with his spear stuck in it.

Kain however smirked and, standing up, walked over to a wardrobe, or at least it seemed to be one. Opening it up, Jared and Saiko were amazed to see a dozen identical spears, with edged spear tips for cutting and thrusting, red-brown wooden shafts and red tassels just below the spearhead at the top of the shaft. Taking one out, he smirked.

"I'll be going now. It's still injured, so it should be even even if I myself have some wounds as well…" Kain spoke, leaving the hut.

"Wait! Are you really going to fight it again so soon? I mean, I understand your pain but surely you should rest up first!"

"L-Let him g-go, Saiko…" Jared spoke up, face red.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"I c-can see it… His d-d-determination… He n-no longer f-fights it j-just for h-his father, but f-for his h-honor too… In th-the end, o-one must k-kill the o-other… I th-think the S-Sea K-King knows i-it too… Th-That's why it n-never l-left…"

"Jared…"

"Y-Yeah?"

"That would've sounded a lot cooler if you didn't stutter"

"…"

--

"Come out, ya oversized sea snake!" yelled Kain from his fishing boat, now out at sea not far from his island. At his call, the Sea King immediately rose up from the ground, the shaft of the spear that was in him broken. Letting out a roar, it once again issued it's challenge.

"Heh… Yeah, whatever. In the end, I'll be the one feasting on your insides. I'm really in the mood for sea snake, ya know?"

With their pre-battle ritual over, the Sea King immediately darted for him, snapping at him with it's jaws. Kain was quick however and leapt up, raising his spear above his head.

"**Aerial!**" he yelled as he came down, thrusting his spear into the Sea King. However, before it hit, the Sea King defended itself by whipping it's tail at him, knocking him aside into the water before it followed after, hoping to swallow him whole.

"Come on! This time I'm gonna finish it!" he yelled as the Sea King came, ready to fight back with his spear even in the water.

**Shinobi-dono: Well, there ya go! The end to Kain's tale and the beginning of his battle with the dangerous Sea King! Gee, this arc reminds me of the Lord of the Coast in Romance Dawn… Oh well, I hope you like it anyways! Please leave a review!**


	9. The Last Man Standing is?

One Piece: New Voyage One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

"Yaaaaaaaah!" yelled Kain as the Sea King came, managing to actually narrowly avoid it's jaws and thrust the spear into it's body, causing it to cry out in pain as he rose up, lifting Kain out of the water with it as he held on tightly.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled, pulling out the spear and kicking off of the beast, leaping over to his fishing boat to get some ground. The beast hardened it's glare and opened it's jaws, ready to fight, only to surprise Kain by whipping it's tail up from beneath the boat, splitting it in two.

"Whoa!" he yelled, losing balance. He watched with wide eyes as the beast came ever closer before swallowing him, as well as some of the ship, whole.

--

"Quickly Jared! You gotta see this!"

Handing the telescope over to Jared as he came, she waited for his reaction as he looked out to sea, looking to see what had happened to Kain. With wide eyes, he spoke.

"Crap… Th-This is t-terrible!"

--

Licking it's lips, the Sea King smirked. It's old nemesis had finally been put down for good. No longer would their fight continue. The kid may have been in the mood for some sea snake, but the Sea King was in the mood for human flesh. Letting out a howl in victory, it seemingly laughed to itself.

That ended however as a spear burst out from it's neck, making it's eyes go wide. Thrashing around, it coughed violently before, after the spear was pulled back in, it spat out Kain and his spear, who didn't look to be in the best condition.

"Heh… Looks like I'm a terrible dish… Oh well, I was always a predator at heart…" Kain spoke, grinning as the Sea King stared at him, furious.

"Oh, wanna finish this? My pleasure!" Kain yelled, taking spear in hand as he leapt up, raising his spear as the Sea King snapped at him with it's jaws, ready to snap him in two as it roared.

**_Flashback Ten Years_**

"_This is for my father, you big jerk!" yelled the young Kain as he leapt up, thrusting the harpoon towards the Sea King. However, the Sea King easily knocked him aside, as if not really bothered to come after such a weak prey._

"_Bastard! Don't you dare think I'm so weak I can't prove a challenge! Until the day I die, nothing's gonna get in the way of me killing you!" he yelled as he ran towards the Sea King again. Annoyed, the Sea King swung his tail at him, only to be surprised as Kain managed to leap up, raising his harpoon over his head._

"_**Aerial!!**"_

"_ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR"_

_**End Flashback**_

"**Aerial!!**" Kain yelled. And with one, solid thrust downwards, his spear pierced right through the scales of the tyrannic beast and into his skull. With wide eyes, the beast could do nothing but stare at Kain as he too looked down, a look of sympathy on his face.

"Farewell, old rival…" he muttered as the beast's eyes softened before it finally closed it's eyes and fell into the ocean, dead. Having no strength to pull out the spear or swim however, Kain fell, slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean…

--

Hours later, or so it seemed, Kain awoke. His first reaction was one of surprise, followed by confusion and then realization as Saiko and Jared looked down over him.

"You were lucky" Saiko started, smiling. "If we hadn't rushed out when we thought you were swallowed, you would've died".

Kain nodded, remembering what had happened before he passed out. So his rival was dead. Their feud finally over. What now? He had no idea.

"Looks like you have no business here now…" Jared finally spoke up. Confused, Kain looked over to him, expecting him to explain. "Without your rival, you haven't got a reason to stay. So how about it? Wanna become our Navigator?".

Kain smiled, closing his eyes.

"I need to rest. But when I wake up, you've got yourself a Navigator!"

**Shinobi-dono: There you have it! The end of the 'War Between Predators' arc as I like to call it . Please leave your reviews and soon I'll put up the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the arc! See ya!**


	10. Drinking in Bliss

One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest,

Yohoho and a bottle of rum!

Drink and the devil had done for the rest,

Yohoho and a bottle of rum!

The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike,

The bosun brained with a marlinspike…"

The day went on like this, with Jared playing his guitar and singing old pirate songs while Saiko cleaned her sword and Kain, their newest crewmate, steered the small ship.

Unlike their old dinghies, this vessel was a bit larger and bore a mast and sail. Although, it was still far too small for a crew. It was decided by all that they'd get a proper ship at the next island. Speaking of which…

"Kain… What's the next island?"

"Bliss Kingdom, of course" he said grinning, like it was no problem. The other two however stared at him.

"We're pirates! Do you really think it's gonna be okay for us to sail there? There are probably loads of Marines there!" the two yelled at him. Kain only blinked in response.

"It's alright, we just have to weigh anchor at a deserted beach and stick around a lawless part of town. It's easy. And then we can go into a bar, have a few beers…" Kain trailed off in his thoughts while the other two stared at him. He switched between carefree and serious so easily it was amazing at times. "And besides, do you really think they'll know it's Jared de Danser? I mean, this ship isn't exactly pirate-ship-material…"

And so they eventually decided to dock at the port anyway, leaving their ship safe and sound amongst the larger vessels before wandering off to the nearest bar, as per Kain's request.

--

Not far from the castle in Bliss, a young man with golden, somewhat messy hair crept about, sneaking away from the castle.

"Tch, security is so lax I can only imagine how the Marines plan to protect the castle if a pirates or revolutionaries ever did plan to come…" he muttered before wandering off into the night.

--

"Amazing! He's drunk twenty people under the table!" Saiko exclaimed as she watched the scene.

"Haha! Barkeep, keep 'em coming!" Kain spoke as his foe fell to the ground, unable to continue drinking against him. The barkeep, surprised but happy that he was making a fortune from the guy, did as told and fetched him another drink.

"Geez, does he even plan to pay for that?" Jared asked aloud to no one in particular as he watched how Kain drank drink after drink.

"Twenty-one!" Kain exclaimed as another opponent fell down, smirking.

"Damn, does that guy ever give up?"

"No, I think he just becomes less sober…"

Conversation in the bar went on like this for a while as the three pirates enjoyed themselves, especially Kain. For once, all actually seemed well. Maybe this time they wouldn't run into anything annoying! Maybe nothing bad would happen this time!

With that thought in mind, they continued to enjoy their time drinking.

--

"Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring ri-"

"Who is this?" asked a Marine, answering his Den Den Mushi. He was a tall man with long, blonde hair wearing the standard marine uniform consisting of blue trousers, the Marine cap and draped over his shoulders was a white coat with the kanji for 'Justice' on his back, showing all that he was in fact at least of Captain rank. In addition to this, he wore a watch on his left wrist and a white, short-sleeved tee shirt.

"This is 'The Envoy of Justice', Captain…"

"Captain Van Edgar! What are you, a fellow captain, doing calling me like this?"

"I received orders recently to inform all Marines in this part of South Blue that… The criminal known as 'Jared de Danser' is in the area, as well as a few others…"

"You mean like that Bonney girl?"

"No, I think she may already be in the Grand Line… Although, either way, some criminals may be heading in your direction…"

"So what do you propose?"

"Simple. Kill the scum. Did you expect anything else?"

"You always were direct, whether it be in law enforcement or in fighting…"

"Captain Van Edgar, over and out"

"Captain Jean Roswell, over and out"

--

"He's out! After twenty three, he's out!"

After the long time spent drinking, it had finally happened: Kain lost. Granted, he did drink a whole lot of alcohol but still, it was a feat nonetheless. Sighing, Jared had to lift him up and put his arm over his shoulder to carry him.

"Geez, this is a pain…" Jared muttered to no one in particular. Saiko agreed. As they were about to walk out however, someone came in and Jared managed to bump into him.

"Ah, sorry…" he muttered.

"I'm afraid bumping into me isn't something you can just apologize that easily about…" spoke the man. It was the man with golden, messy hair. He wore a dark cloak and beneath his cloak, one could see the glimmer of something metallic.

"After all, I didn't make a name for myself just for drunks to bump into me like I was some sort of bum like them" he finished.

**Shinobi-dono: There ya go! The start of the Bliss Kingdom arc! I bet you have a lot of questions like 'Who is this mysterious man?', 'Will we ever see this 'Van Edgar' guy?' and 'Why can't I remember my name?!'. The answer to the last is that you're probably senile. Anyways, review!**


	11. The Gunner

One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

The atmosphere suddenly got very tense as the two stared at each other, with Saiko watching the entire scene. Even the drunks had gone quiet, as if not wanting to anger the golden-haired man further.

"…What? Bumping into people annoys you this much? You sound like some spoiled brat…" Jared finally said, not exactly making the situation any better.

"I would have preferred a more sincere apology, but no one calls me a spoiled brat, kid…" he spoke back.

"What's your name, anyways?"

"Gunner"

"Gunner? Ha, real cool name…"

"Last I checked, weren't you 'Jared de Danser? Is dancing any better than a name like mine?"

"Heh, dancing's much better!"

"Why not prove it!" Gunner spoke as he immediately pulled out a pistol and fired it, almost shooting Jared between the eyes. However, Jared had managed to duck in time, drop Kain and leapt forward, aiming a kick for Gunner's hand. However, Gunner swiftly leaned backwards, pulling his hand out of the way of Jared's kick, and fired again, only to be surprised as Jared hopped off his other foot, moving back out of the way.

"Good reflexes!" Gunner spoke, moving back into a proper standing position before dashing towards Jared, ready to shoot again as Jared prepared to kick him in the face.

"STOP IT!" yelled Saiko, who was at the side. Amazingly, both stopped and turned their heads to look at her strangely. However, Jared turned red as he stared at her and looked away while Gunner relaxed and walked over to her. For a moment, she was worried he might do something.

"I apologize miss. Lately I have been rather stressed, so got very annoyed when he bumped into me" he spoke, kissing her hand. Saiko blushed, and Jared frowned, mostly since he didn't like the idea of him getting close to her after almost killing him.

"Ugh… What happened?" asked a disorientated Kain, making the others sweatdrop. "Ah whatever… Hey, barkeep…"

And so the night continued on, as if the whole fiasco had never happened. Saiko, Jared and Kain sat at a table with Gunner at the far end. However, while Gunner did sit with them, he rarely spoke, and only spoke a sentence at best.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"None of your concern"

"Are you good with guns?"

"Yes"

"Do you like soba?"

"No"

And so the night went on, with Saiko asking random questions, Gunner barely answering them, Jared getting more annoyed with Gunner by the minute and Kain getting even more drunk.

--

"Keep a lookout! We have word that there may be pirates in the area!" yelled a Marine officer.

Throughout the streets Marines were patrolling, looking for any pirates that may be in the area. After receiving word from one of their fellow Captains, they were all too ready to do as he said and watch out for pirates.

"No pirates will get through here on my watch…" Captain Jean Roswell spoke, brows furrowed and a scowl on his face. "No pirates at all…"

--

Back at the bar, the group had finally decided to pack up and head out, especially since they didn't want to waste any money paying for Kain's drinks. Gunner simply got tired of the bar and wanted to leave.

"Well, I hope we see each other again!"

"S-Saiko-chan… H-he knows w-we're p-pirates… D-do you r-really th-think we'll s-see him ag-again?" Jared asked nervously.

"Now that I think about it Cap'n, you're right… Still, maybe we _will_ meet again someday on the Grand Line! You never know who you'll see in the Grand Line!"

Jared sighed. She was too optimistic. Was he the only one with common sense on this crew? So far, it seemed very likely. As he walked away however, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. Immediately he recognized what it could be.

"That marching… Marines!" Jared exclaimed.

"Could they have known we'd be here?" Saiko asked.

"No… It's probably coincidence… They could be making their rounds now…"

Quickly, the trio ran around the corner, retreating into the alleyways and any other place they could find safety. However, as they ran, Jared found himself running right into Gunner, who happened to have already run into the next street and had been running down it at the time Jared bumped into him.

"Ah!"

"Wha-What the hell is this?!" Jared asked.

Right in front of him was Gunner alright, but something had changed. After bumping into him, Jared had managed to actually pull of his hair, only to realize it was a wig, revealing Gunner's true hair: Black and neat, slicked back. For a moment, Jared was confused. But a comment from a Marine suddenly changed things for the worse.

"The pirates! There they are! And that's-!"

"They've taken Prince Roi du Fusil hostage!"

Jared, wide-eyed, suddenly stared at 'Gunner', who cursed under his breath. However, he managed to make out the words since he was right next to him.

"Crap, they found me out of the castle"

**Shinobi-dono: There ya go! Amazing, isn't it? 'Gunner' is in fact the prince of Bliss! Well, maybe not that amazing… But it makes a good plot twist ^^. Anyways, please leave a review! Oh, and sorry for the delay. I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter...**


	12. The Loneliness

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

--

Everyone was silent after that declaration, amazed. After all, how often is it that you find out the prince of Bliss wears peasant clothing and a wig and goes out into the town?

Nonetheless, no one questioned him about it as they quickly began running as the Marines came, with the prince, who they now realized was named 'Roi du Fusil', following them. Needless to say, there was only one reaction on Jared's part.

"Get lost! We're getting in trouble because of you!"

"Never, pirate!"

The two bickered constantly as they ran from the Marines, while the other two sighed. The two just couldn't get along no matter what the circumstances. Even now they couldn't get along. It was like some kind of running-joke. Not that it mattered right now.

"Get them! But don't hurt the prince or I'll have your heads!"

Needless to say, it was thanks to Roi that they didn't risk shooting them. While this was somewhat helpful, it didn't really matter in the long run since the Marines still gave chase.

"Around there!" barked Roi and they quickly took the next right as Roi told them to. It was around this time that they heard a crash of thunder and Kain frowned.

"This is bad… In a thunderstorm, we'll be most vulnerable. We can't expect to go out into the storm and sail away with the boat undamaged…"

"Then what do we do?" Saiko asked.

"I don't know…" he answered, secretly wishing he'd brought his spear. At least then he could at least try to fight his way out. Not that fight would last long but still.

"Come on! Let's try to lose them! Maybe then we could hide until the storm blows over…" Jared suggested.

"Fool, have you know concept of strategy?" asked Roi. "Even if we lost them, there isn't anywhere else we could go. They could easily find us in the city. And even if we head into the forest on the far end of the island, they'll probably try looking for us there and send a squad to find us. They know the layout of the island far better than any of us"

"Then what do you propose?" Kain asked curiously.

"Simple: We head into the storm. It's our best cover, and I know just the vessel to escape with. Everyone, I want you to head to your ship and get your supplies. I'll run to the docks and get us the ship! Jared, I need you to come with me! As long as you're with me, I'm sure we can prepare the ship!"

For a moment, Jared seemed skeptical. However, a second later, he sighed.

"Damn it, you're too good at strategy. I'll help you, but don't think this settles our duel earlier!" Jared told him. Roi only smirked.

"Everyone: Scatter!" Jared announced, and Saiko and Kain went one way, heading to the ship, while Jared followed Roi towards the far end of the docks, where their new vessel would await them.

--

"Tch, god damn it… First that Dancing pirate beats up a Captain… Now he kidnaps the prince of Bliss! This is too terrible for words!" hollered Captain Roswell as he heard the news, standing in the middle of a street as his Marines mobilized around him.

"I swear… That pirate won't leave here alive!" he announced, lifting up a rucksack that was at his feet as he said these words and putting it over one shoulder.

"Now men… Move out! Don't let a soul escape!"

--

"You sure this is the right way?" Jared asked as he ran.

"Positive! This ship is off limits to all, so it's always left on the far side of the dock! The Marines are busy looking for us, so there's little chance of any defending the ship right now! And even if there were… We can take them!" Roi replied as he ran, serious expression still on his face.

"If you say so…" Jared replied.

As luck would have it, the two eventually arrived to see that the ship Roi spoke of was indeed left unattended.

Jared had to admit though, this was one fine ship: A galleon, painted in several shades of blue with a figurehead of a beautiful woman and several large sails and about three masts, one at the front, one at the middle and one at the back.

"This is the ship you're talking about? I must say, it's one hell of a ship…" Jared muttered.

"Of course, it's my father's private ship. He uses it for whenever he wants to leave the island to attend meetings to do with the World Government…" Roi answered back.

"That reminds me, why were you wearing that wig earlier? And what's with the alias?" Jared asked.

Roi however sighed. A moment later, he spoke.

"It begins a long time ago…"

_Flashback Ten Years_

_"Roi…"_

_Yet again it had happened. Wanting to get out of the castle, Roi had tried sneaking out. However, the guards caught him easily and dragged the boy back to his father, King Ultima du Fusil._

"_How many times are you going to try and sneak out? You know the streets are no place for a child…"_

"_But I'm sick of this! I wanna go outside! I don't wanna stay inside this castle forever!"_

"_I understand, son, but please, if you want to go outside, I'll arrange for us to have a nice dinner outside. What do you say?"_

"…_Okay…"_

_That day came, but it wasn't what the boy wanted. They went to a fancy restaurant, with no one else there but older people who were members of the nobility. He was the only kid. And he hated it._

_--_

"_Pleeeeaaaassse! Let me go outside! Just for a bit!" the young prince asked, his eyes giving his mother a pleading look._

"_I'm busy son, I'm sorry but I can't take you outside"_

"_Fine! I'll go outside by myself!"_

"_No you will not! You're still a young boy…"_

"_Aw come on!"_

"… _I suppose some arrangements could be made… What if I let someone watch out for you?"_

"_I don't care if someone's looking after me! I wanna go outside!"_

"_Very well then…"_

_As it turned out, his mother had assigned a Marine to look out for him as he went outside. But the protective nature of the Marine made it impossible for him to play around. And the simple tense atmosphere of being near the prince made the citizens too afraid to interact with him, as if afraid they might annoy him. Once more he realized that being outside with people was an impossibility._

_End Flashback_

"… And that's it. I eventually decided that the best way to get out was to sneak out. I'd go to bed early like a good boy and sneak out using a makeshift-rope to climb down from my bedroom window. I got a taste of the outside world, enjoyed myself… I even joined a darts club and later I got myself a gun when I wowed everyone with my Marksmanship…" Roi told him, revealing his past in full.

"You know, maybe you're not half-bad after all… I really hope we do meet again…" Jared started. Roi gave him a questioning look, but Jared looked at him and smirked. "After all, we still have to settle our duel".

Roi smirked back. "Quite" he said.

"Halt and stay where you are, pirate!"

Immediately, the two went wide-eyed and spun around to see Captain Jean Roswell, wielding two tonfa and glaring at Jared.

"Don't make me repeat myself! Give yourself over, 'Jared de Danser'!" he yelled, raising his arms and spinning his tonfa.

"Damn sonofa… Fine then, let's do this!" Jared yelled as he ran towards the Captain, ready to do battle.

**Shinobi-dono: There you have it! With the arrival of the Captain, things have gotten intense! Will Roi ever be free? Will Jared be able to escape with his crew? Find out all this and more in the next chapter! Oh, and apologies for the late update, but I was ill for a while, which sort of got in the way.**

**Until then, review!**


	13. Conclusion of Bliss

One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

"**Jazz Armada!!!**"

"Raaaaaaaah!"

As Jared swung his vibrating leg in a reverse roundhouse aimed for Captain Roswell's face, Roswell matched it with a strong swing of his tonfa, managing to actually block Jared's amazingly strong kick.

"You're mine!" he spoke, swinging his other tonfa at Jared and hitting him in the abdomen with a strong blow, knocking him back several feet. As he skidded to a halt, Jared slowly got up, clutching his stomach.

"Damn… You're pretty strong…" Jared muttered. "The hell do you have to do to get strength like that?".

"I wouldn't say that yet. You're pretty strong yourself, pirate. It's amazing. But a shame as well, that such a strong person devote themselves to evil"

"Evil? Don't make me laugh! The evil ones are you, Marine!"

Immediately, the two ran towards each other and clashed again. Jared constantly attacked with a variety of kicks ranging from low kicks to high kicks, only for Roswell to block each one with his tonfa.

"Evil? Don't make _me_ laugh, pirate! I see your kind day in and day out! But however you sugarcoat it, a criminal is a criminal! Kidnapping the prince is just proof of it!" Roswell exclaimed before knocking Jared off balance after deflecting a kick. "**Hundred-Hit Tonfa Strike!**"

In the opening that he created, Roswell immediately thrust his second tonfa forwards, hitting Jared a hundred times with his tonfa.

"Ack!" Jared yelled as once again he was sent flying backwards, crashing into a wall this time. Roswell slowly walked over, clutching his tonfa, as he looked down upon Jared.

"So this is all you have? I find it hard to believe you could have defeated a fellow Captain… Or perhaps I should be looking down on the Captain instead? Either way you die…" Roswell spoke before spinning his tonfa rapidly, ready to deal the final strike.

However, as he swung down, he did not expect Jared to quickly roll over and dodge the tonfa before quickly bringing up one foot to mule-kick him in the face, vibrating his leg as he did so.

"**Country Chapa de Costas!**" he yelled loudly, kicking Roswell right in the face and sending him stumbling backwards. Quickly, Jared stood up and spun around, crossing his back leg behind his kicking leg before swinging it around in a sweeping arc, managing to land a vibrating kick on Roswell yet again, hitting him upside the head.

"**Indie Queixada!**" he yelled as the kick connected, disorientating the Marine Captain before he finished up his combo with a straight kick where he used his hips to extend the range slightly, delivering a kick resembling another move of his: the **Rock Bencáo**.

"**Country Chapa de Frente!**" he yelled as the vibrating leg hit home, knocking the Marine Captain backwards through the air before he landed on the ground, slowly skidding to a halt.

"How was that, Captain? If you want a fight… I'm ready to give you one!" Jared yelled, smirking as he entered a stance.

Slowly, the Marine Captain got up, obviously injured from the attack. His nose was bloody and broken, his forehead was bleeding and his jaw looked like it had seen better days.

Jared, of course, had his own injuries: A few broken ribs, or so it felt, to be precise. He couldn't let this fight go on for too long.

"Hehehehehe… Heheheheheheheh… HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA! You're good, pirate! Really good! For once, I have a decent challenge! Come on, show me your best! I want to see just how skilled the dancer really is!" Roswell laughed, charging Jared as he readied his tonfa.

"Try not to die too quickly! **One Thousand-Hit Wonder!!!**" he yelled as he began delivering rapid blows with both tonfa, hoping to deal as many hits as possible to Jared. However, Jared would have none of that. Leaping forwards, he shouted.

"**Progressive Voo-de-Morcego!!!**" Jared yelled, delivering a powerful, vibrating dropkick that actually destroyed the Captain's tonfa. Eyes widened in horror, he could do nothing as Jared's feet hit him directly in the face, sending him flying backwards before he finally crashed into a nearby ship, defeated.

Landing on his feet, Jared panted before falling to one knee, tired and badly injured.

"Damn Marine… Captain or no… I'll kick down anyone who gets in the way of my dream!" he yelled at the Captain before almost falling to the ground, only to be caught by Roi in mid-fall.

"Damn idiot… It's a wonder you're not dead…" Roi muttered, lifting him up and draping an arm over his shoulders. "Here, since you fought for me, I'll carry you to the ship, okay?".

Jared merely grunted in annoyance as Roi helped him over to the ship, the great Galleon that was now his. However, as they reached it, Jared was surprised to see Roi hand him a bottle of champagne.

"… The hell?"

"I believe it's time you christened your ship, captain" Roi spoke, making Jared smirk.

"Fine then… I hereby christen this ship… **The Siren's Song!**" Jared announced, grinning.

"GUYS! GET MOVING!" yelled two voices. Turning around, they saw Kain and Saiko running after them, with a group of Marines following.

"Looks like this is where we-"

Click.

Jared was surprised as he saw Roi press a pistol to his head, frowning.

"You will die here and now if you don't do as I say, got it? As of now, I am your nakama! As a nakama, until the day we die, I won't stop sailing with you around the world! I want to see it all! South Blue, The Grand Line! Even the New World! Got it?" Roi asked. In response, Jared narrowed his eyes at him.

"Fine then… From now on… We're nakama!" he yelled. Turning to Saiko and Kain, he shouted "Guys, get ready to set sail! We're heading out NOW!".

"Aye aye!" they yelled back as they climbed on board, raised the anchor, and set sail into the storm, narrowly escaping the Marines.

"So Captain, how's about naming the crew?" Kain spoke as they set sail.

"From now on… We're the Bebop Pirates!"

**Shinobi-dono: And thus ends the Bliss arc! I hope you liked it! Now we're entering the final arc of the South Blue Saga, what I call the 'Marine Captain Van Edgar' arc! Yes, he's finally making an appearance, so you better keep reading! Until then, review!**


	14. Marine Captain Jan Van Edgar

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

Lieutenant Saber Thorpe was a fearsome man. With his large size, powerful muscles and devilish grin he was quite fearsome to his lower-ranked comrades. He wore the standard Marine uniform, save the cap, although his clothes looked ragged and torn, adding to his fearsome appearance. And in his belt at his side was a Hanger, a sword much like a Cutlass only a bit longer.

Probably the biggest testament to his strength however was his very species: That is, he was a Fish-Man. A swordfish Fish-Man to be exact. With blue skin and a long, pointed nose like a spear's tip, it was obvious to those around him exactly what he was. And as many knew, Fish-Men were at least ten times stronger than a normal human, making them fearsome opponents. As the second strongest man on Orion Island, he was feared by all.

However, Lieutenant Thorpe was about to meet the one person on the island stronger than him: His Captain. Walking down the corridor of the Marine base, Thorpe sighed to himself.

"Geez, this better be important… I was busy with training the new recruits dammit…" he muttered to himself as he walked. While he said 'train' it was more like 'trying to kill them'. Literally he would just fight them with everything he had and they had to fight him off. No one won against him. They just got a little better each time.

Kicking open the door, Thorpe walked in, frowning still, and stared at the Marine Captain behind the desk. The Captain was a young man in his early twenties yet he had an air of maturity about him, mainly due to the stubble on his chin and the scar over his left eye. He wore no shirt, only the Captain's Coat with 'Justice' on the back in Kanji and on his arms were black arm guards. He wore blue martial-artists' pants and martial artists' shoes and that was all, save a talisman hanging from his neck like a pendant. He also had the kanji for 'Justice' tattooed on his chest, over his heart.

"This better be good, _Captain_…" Thorpe spoke, annoyed.

"I thought I told you to call me 'Jan', Thorpe… And trust me, you'll find it very satisfying…" Jan, the Captain, replied. At this the swordfish Fish-Man grinned widely.

"Does that mean-"

"Yes, there may be pirates coming this way. Several crews to be exact. But the ones we're looking for took down a fellow Captain, Roswell I think… The fool…" Jan answered, causing Thorpe to grin even wider. Jan smirked. If it involved fighting, Thorpe was always going to be apart of it.

"Very well then, Captain Van Edgar. I shall hunt down the pirates myself! You have my word!" Thorpe exclaimed, grinning madly. Jan smirked again.

"I told you, it's 'Jan'…" he answered back as Thorpe left, smirking to himself.

---

Jan Van Edgar was the Captain of Orion Island. And in all the years he had been stationed in South Blue, not one pirate had ever slipped past him, just like Captain Smoker of East Blue.

"HEEEEEEY! GUYS!" Kain announced loudly to the whole crew from atop the center mast in the crow's nest. "I see land! It'll be half an hour before we get there though!".

The others nodded as they did their things. Jared was busy practicing with his guitar, Saiko was polishing her sword and Roi, their newest crewmate and Prince of Bliss, was playing darts. Overall, they were simply letting the ship sail towards the island by itself as they did their own thing.

"We won't be able to dock there, you know. I'm sure they've reported what's happened to the other Marine bases already" Roi spoke, for once starting conversation.

"It's okay, we can just find another inlet or beach or something" Saiko cheerfully spoke up. There was no putting down her cheerful attitude. Or Kain's carefree attitude. Now that Jared thought about it, maybe it was good that they got a serious, cold person to join their crew. They needed some voice of reason after all.

"Don't forget, Jared's wanted. If I'm correct, the last island before the Grand Line is Orion Island. And like Logue Town of East Blue, it holds a record of it's own".

"Oh?" asked Saiko, interested in knowing. "What is that?"

"In all the years that the Marine Captain there has been there… No Pirates have escaped the island or his clutches…" Roi answered.

"And who is this guy?" Jared asked, eyes focused on Roi as Roi threw a dart, hitting the dead center of the board.

"Jan Van Edgar, known to many as the 'Envoy of Justice'".

---

Not long later, the crew had managed to circle the island and find a good place to drop the anchor. It was a beach, although the entrance to the beach was a cave which proved useful. That way it was highly doubtful that anyone would see it.

After walking through the cave and coming out on the other side, the crew found themselves walking over a large plain before finally arriving at the town. It was here that they'd get some supplies before leaving the island and thus begin their journey into the Grand Line.

"Okay, let's all split up. Kain, go get some food. Roi, you get some clothes with Saiko. I'll go see if I can get some booze…" Jared told them all. However, Kain then raised a hand.

"Why booze?"

"Cause you drank it all!" the other three yelled back, to which he simply smiled sheepishly and scratched his head.

"Oh yeah…"

"Now let's go!"

"Right!"

And so, the crew split up and wandered off, searching for the things they were all assigned to find.

---

"Damn it Tigress! You keep scaring the customers away!" yelled an old man wearing glasses and a white apron.

Across the room, a young woman with long, orange hair and green eyes wearing a sleeveless black top, blue jeans and a white apron turned to look at him and frowned.

"It's not my fault! They were trying to dine and dash!"

"You beat them to a bloody pulp!"

"Maybe that was a little extreme…"

"A little? Girl, because of you, I'm losing customers! I'm sorry to say this, but you're fired!"

And so the young woman lost her job. Sighing, she walked down the street as she drank her bottle of water and cursed under her breath.

"Damn old geezer… What does he know? I was only trying to help! Argh! I'm so angry! Raaah!" she yelled aloud, kicking a stone that was on the ground in anger. Unfortunately, it managed to hit a man roughly her age with white hair, knocking him down due to the unexpected blow to the head.

"Ah! Sumimasen! Are you alright?" she asked as she rushed over, kneeling down at the man's side to see if he was alright.

"It's nothing…" he spoke. As she knelt beside him, she noticed that he seemed to be carrying a spear with him for some reason. "By the way, you have some food?".

**Shiobi-dono: There you have it! The formal introduction of Captain Van Edgar, or more accurately, Jan Van Edgar! Also, we got to see two new characters! Also, for those who don't know, 'Sumimasen' means 'sorry'. Anyways, please review!**


	15. The Dancer's Day

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

"Mmm! Ti-chan, you're the greatest cook ever!" Kain spoke as he wolfed down his meal. The two had returned to Tigress' home after they had met, and, unwilling to refuse someone a good meal, Tigress chose to cook Kain a meal. Smiling, she spoke.

"I guess you really like it then, don't you?" she asked, a smile on her face as he ate her food.

"Yep! In fact, I should get the others to try it! You know what? I think I'll take some of it back to the others…" the navigator spoke as he ate some of her rice, served with some curry of course. Byakko simply smiled at that again.

"Oh? Who are these friends of yours?" she asked, curious. With a grin, Kain proceeded to reply.

"Well, there's this guy with a guitar named Jared who likes music, this Samurai girl, and a really stuck-up darts-loving guy…" Kain told her. "And then, of course, there's lovable, sexy, young me" he added, making Neko laugh.

"Oh? I don't know much about that, Kain" she joked, laughing a bit herself. Kain simply smirked.

"So, think you could help me? Even if I took some of your food, I don't think it'd be enough to last us a week…" he asked her, hoping for a 'yes'.

---

"What about this?"

"Not good enough"

"This then?"

"Bah! Have you no taste, woman? I can't go around wearing such commoner clothing!"

That last comment made Saiko sweatdrop. Roi was… Difficult to deal with. Most likely his noble upbringing. Amazing how he could hate the life of royalty yet embrace it at the same time. Sighing, she put the piece of clothing back on the rack and continued searching. Soon enough, she found a purple, button-up shirt.

"This?" she asked. Unsurprisingly, Roi's answer was yet another 'no'.

---

"Okay men, MOVE!" yelled a Marine as the many officers below him in rank moved out, spreading themselves out about the island. The high-ranking Marine who ordered them about was a young woman with blonde hair that reached just past the chin in length, and wore the Marine Cap, along with a short-sleeved v-neck version of the Marine shirt, as well as the normal blue pants. Her eyes, shaded by the cap, were green, and on her hands were a pair of white gloves.

Standing behind her was a pair of twins, one male one female, who both wore the standard Marine uniform, and had black hair kept in a loose ponytail as well as white gloves, similar to their superior before them, only fingerless. In addition, the male had a pair of combat knives in his belt, while the female of the pair had no weapons at all.

"Lieutenant Vega…"

"Hm?" the blonde haired woman asked as the two spoke.

"What are our orders?"

"You two shall follow me, we're going to turn this town upside down if need be" she answered and thus proceeded forwards, both of the Marines following behind.

---

Jared sighed as he carried the crate of liquor. If only Kain hadn't drank it all. The guy was too carefree, too irresponsible. Wasn't a Navigator meant to be responsible and hard-working? Apparently not, it seemed, for Jared couldn't remember the last time he was serious about anything, save of course his fight with the small Sea King.

As he walked about however, he couldn't help but notice several Marines run right past him. A brow raised, he wondered for a moment what they were in a rush for. But, shrugging his shoulders, he decided just to continue onwards. Not like it really mattered to him. So long as he made sure to stay out of their sight, it wasn't a problem. Nonetheless however, as he continued, something told him that something wasn't right.

Unsure of what this feeling could be, Jared quickened his pace. He needed to get back to the others, after all. He was sure it wouldn't take too long. They planned an hour at most, after all. Wait, was it an hour? No, he was sure it was. He doubted it'd be too long more when the island they were on was a Marine HQ, in this case named Orion Island. However, as he rushed, a hand caught him by the shoulder and he stopped.

"You know… Rushing things isn't exactly the smartest thing to do, ya know?" came a voice. Looking over his shoulder, Jared found himself staring at a man in a conical straw hat wearing dark robes that cloaked his body. In one hand he held a Shakujo, a priest's staff, and unfortunately for Jared, he couldn't see the man's face due to the hat.

"You can't get anywhere if you don't move. You've got to keep on moving" Jared replied, staring at the man with furrowed brows. A smirk showed itself on the priest's face.

"True, true. I'll leave you with some advice; the candle that burns twice as bright only burns for half as long" he replied to the punk-ish Pirate.

"Fair enough, Houshi-sama…" Jared answered back, a bit confused, before turning around and running forwards. The priest simply watched as he ran on ahead with the liquor and smirked to himself.

"You're gonna go far, kid…" he muttered, taking his own path down the streets.

---

"Finally… At least we're done for now…" Saiko muttered as she carried two bags of clothing for the group and herself. Roi at least carried one himself, although they were mainly his clothes. Luckily though, they had enough to pay for them all, for Roi's clothes were by no means cheap.

Walking down the road at an even pace, the two were rather relaxed in contrast to Jared. Roi reached into his pocket as he walked, and from it he withdrew a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Opening said pack, he proceeded to pull one out with his teeth and put the pack away before lighting it with his lighter.

"It's best we get going. If anything, Captain Jared's probably already done his job. Knowing that Navigator of yours though, we'll end up having to do his job…" Roi told her, and she paled. She didn't want to work with the Sniper at all. Far too royal for her good. She silently prayed that Kain had done some work for once. She really did.

"Stop! You two, stop!" called a voice. Stopping for a moment, the two turned around to see Kain running towards them, a large white sack filled with food over his shoulder and an orange-haired woman, Tigress, running alongside him. Quickly the two caught up, and Saiko smiled.

"Kain! We're so glad you're done! And… You have a friend…" she muttered, blinking. The woman simply smiled.

"I'm Tigress, nice to meet ya! You must be Saiko, right? Kain's told me all about his friends. I must say though, you guys look nothing like I thought you would…" she told them, looking at Roi and Saiko. Especially Roi, he was far different to what she had expected.

"I wouldn't trust her, Kawakami. Anyone who can get along this well with the idiot must be just as bad" he told her, earning a collective "Oi!" from both Chef and Navigator. Saiko simply giggled at the strange similarities between them.

"So, you guys seen Jared?" Kain asked, raising a brow.

"Captain Jared went another way, but he'll probably be back soon. We agreed to meet up not too far from here, after all"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon enough, he's a real gentleman" Saiko added in, smiling.

---

"ACHOO! Damn, I must have gotten a cold…"

"OI! DON'T IGNORE US!!"

Blinking, Jared looked back to his front, towards the large group of pirates that stood there, menacing and no doubt angry at him for something. What they were angry about, God knew, for Jared was confused as hell by the group, who claimed to know him very well.

"I'm sorry, who are you guys again?" he asked, a brow raised as he put down the crate of liquor gently, so as not to break any bottles.

"You know damn well who we are!" the leader, a man with an eyepatch over one eye, a dark, short-sleeved top, black three-quarter length pants and a saber at his side in bare feet, yelled at him as he drew his saber.

"Ever since that day… Every night, whenever I try to sleep… All I can see is that goddamn face! It pisses me off so much I can't sleep! You have any idea what it's like?! HUH?! Huh?" the man spoke, noticing that Jared wasn't there, but in fact, already walking away. Gritting his teeth, he rushed forwards, saber at the ready.

"NO ONE DISRESPECTS THE GREAT MICK-SAMA! NO ONE-"

WHAM!

With that, Mick fell to the ground, unconscious. The large group of pirates gasped, shocked by the speed with which Jared reacted and knocked their leader out cold with a single kick. Looking up at Jared, they sweated rivers as he gave them a hard glare. Immediately they understood, and they silently grabbed their leader and carried him away, out of Jared's sight.

Turning around to pick up the crate, Jared sighed. He really didn't feel like dealing with those losers, whoever they were. However, he paused as a clapping commenced, and slowly, he turned his attention skywards, looking up at a Marine who wore a normal Marine uniform, but noticeably more ragged and torn than a usual one and lacking shoes. His eyes were sharp and golden in colour, and red markings surrounded his eyes and decorated his forehead. Not to mention, he had messy white hair and a grin much like The Devil's.

"Looks like I caught the big one. 'Jared de Danser', 15, 000, 000 Beli… Captain Van Edgar'll praise me for it…" he spoke, grin still present on his face.

"Who are you?!" Jared yelled, his brows furrowed again and a glare sent his direction. With a smirk, the young man responded.

"I'm Ensign Kamakiri. Let's make this bloody, shall we?"

**Shinobi-dono: There ya have it, the Marines are on the move! Nothing much has happened to our heroes, but Jared's meeting with Kamakiri is just the start of things ^^**

**Plus, we got to see some more Marines, although two of them (The Twins) still have yet to be named. On that note, if you have a good idea for what their names should be, please tell me. **

**Anyways, please review, for I get inspired by them ^^**


	16. Split!

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

"Tch, and here I thought I'd be able to get back to the ship peacefully…"

"Oh? Don't worry, I'll make sure to send you back _piece by piece_…"

For the longest time the two stared at each other, a feral grin on Kamakiri's face and the same, annoyed look on Jared's. Soon enough however, it started, as Kamakiri suddenly leapt up before crashing back down, having aimed an axe kick straight for Jared's head. Jared, however, was quick to hop up and swing his leg upwards, stopping his opponent's kick cold before using his other foot to kick Kamakiri.

However, as the leg came upwards, Kamakiri brought his palm down on it and pushed Jared's body away, flipping himself over so that he could land just as Jared did. As soon as both men landed, the dashed towards each other and Kamakiri, attacking first, sent a fist straight for Jared's face. However, Jared quickly ducked, skidding as he did so, and now his right leg was outstretched, with his left leg tucked in near his body, his left arm providing support and his right arm now up to guard his face. This maneuver surprised Kamakiri, and it was about to get a lot worse.

"**Reggae Negativa!" **Jared started, quickly sweeping Kamakiri off of his feet with his outstretched leg before flipping himself over, ready to use his tucked-in leg.

"**Country Chapa-de-Costas!" **With that, Jared had quickly attacked Kamakiri, hitting him in the chest with a vibrated Mule-Kick. As soon as it hit, his foe was sent skidding backwards along the ground until he managed to regain control of himself and stop. Pushing himself up slowly, Kamakiri rose to his feet as soon as Jared had, their eyes once again locked. However, that grin still hadn't left Kamakiri's face.

"Ha! You're good, Pirate! I haven't met anyone this strong in a while! What's say we make things interesting?" he asked. Jared simply glared at him, and with a shake of the head, he continued. "Man, you just can't learn to relax, can ya? But I guess that's what makes ya so damn frightening, isn't it? Don't worry, ya ain't in trouble. Yet" Kamakiri spoke, his grin widening as he said that. Grabbing his shirt, he tore it off and extended his hands.

"Special Rare Zoan! Mushi Mushi no Mi Model: Mantis!" he yelled with a grin as suddenly, his body began to twitch, and Jared watched with a mix of awe and disgust as the man's body's skeleton seemed to move around, the cracking clear as day as the bones shifted, and soon enough he found himself looking at what could only be described as a Human-Mantis hybrid.

Kamakiri's frame was now taller than before, though unlike most Zoans, he didn't get bulkier. Nonetheless, he was still intimidating, and his skin was now a shade of green that contrasted the blue of his pants. Extending from the wrist of each arm was a long, blade-like appendage, and his face had changed greatly, large mandibles forming on either side of his mouth, and his eyes turning a crimson colour whilst two antennae extended backwards from his forehead, running alongside his white hair. The biggest thing Jared noticed was that he now had four arms.

"This'll be the last time you get to dance, Pirate!" he yelled as he ran forwards, moving at a frighteningly quicker pace and slashing at Jared with his blades. Jared only barely had enough time to roll out of the way, but a long line extending along the ground was left behind. Obviously those blades were far too sharp for comfort. Jared immediately got back up, but Kamakiri was quicker, and thrust his blade forwards in an attempt to split his head in two. Luckily, the pirate was able to duck in time, and this time he ran forwards as he did so, only to leap aside as one of his other arms came back, almost slashing through his head.

"Ya can run forever, pirate! I'm having too much fun!" he yelled in sadistic glee, running towards Jared again and constantly attacking him with a flurry of slashing attacks, ready to slice Jared into pieces if he didn't keep hopping back.

'Dammit! I can't get close because of those blades! He keeps attacking and attacking, but I can't get an opening! There's too many attacks!' Jared thought to himself as he constantly dodged. He needed a plan, quick.

---

"Keep running!"

"I believe we all got the message, Navigator"

"Quit fighting and save your strength for running away!"

"Wait a minute, why am I running?!"

"They probably think you're with us, Ti-chan!"

"Thanks a lot Kain"

"What'd I do?! Oh yeah, nevermind"

And so the group argued like this as they ran, numerous Marines chasing after them. There was no time to think about Jared, sadly. Their only hope for finding him was to run all around the town, and the Marines would probably win if they tried that, as they knew the layout of the town much better.

"We need to lose them, fast!"

"Maybe that woman can help!"

"Who?"

The group now looked to Kain, wondering who the hell he was referring to, only to watch as he pointed ahead. Looking forwards, the group paled as they spotted a woman with blonde hair carrying a loaded Bazooka on her shoulders, ready to fire.

"MOVE!" Saiko yelled as the woman fired, and the group proceeded to do exactly that as the cannonball hit the center of where they had stood, causing an explosion of rubble and dirt as it impacted with the ground. Saiko could feel herself being thrown clear of the area, landing on her face as she escaped the blast. As she got up however, she noticed something. Something that made her sigh in despair.

"The others are gone…" she muttered, only to be reminded to run as Marines now chased after her. It looked like a reunion would have to wait.

---

"Roi-sama! Please, hand yourself over! Your father and mother are-"

"Quit it and leave me be!" he yelled back as he ran. Now the enemy had them right where they wanted them. With them all split up, it would be easier for them to pick them off one by one. Although, then again, being split up did have one advantage. Quickly rounding a corner, Roi entered an alleyway and ducked behind a bin. The Marines came, but, seeing no one, they grunted and began running away, thinking he had gone some other way.

"Fools"

"I agree, Roi-sama. They're all fools"

Roi froze. Without any warning, he quickly leapt up, running as yet another cannonball rained down and hit the spot he once stood in, and quickly escaped from the street, entering into a large square, empty and spacious. However, before he could move too far, another shot was fired, and Roi only barely avoided it as he jumped to one side, the shot instead hitting a house, demolishing one of it's walls. Quickly, he turned to see the woman again, a frown on his face.

"This really isn't my day…" he muttered, annoyed.

---

"Quick, right or left?!"

"Left! Left!"

And so the two, Kain and Tigress, continued running, not wanting to wait for any Marines to come and arrest them. After all, it would be troublesome to deal with them right now. They needed to keep on the move, however, there was one problem with their plans: The pair of twins who had just leapt down from the roofs and onto the street where they now stood in the way of the two.

"Halt, you will go no fu-" the male of the twins tried to speak, only to be ignored as the two ran past him. He grumbled, and turned before running after the two, both combat knives drawn and in a back-handed grip.

"Oi, Pirates! Don't just ignore me!!!" he yelled, only for the female of the twins to sigh. Her brother really hated being ignored.

---

"Which one, I wonder…" spoke Thorpe as he sat, perched atop a tower as he looked down upon the city, two swords at his side. "Which one will get here first?" he asked no one in particular, silently waiting for his foe to come.

---

"Haha!"

There was a slashing sound as one of his arm blades managed to leave a cut right across Jared's face as he leapt back, forcing the pirate to wince in pain briefly as he skidded backwards to a halt. He frowned, looking at the Ensign with annoyance. Kamakiri simply smirked as he licked the blade on his arm, his red eyes fixed upon Jared.

"What's wrong, Captain? At this rate… I'll be done in no time".

**Shinobi-dono: Well, there ya go! Not much advancement, although we do know who is facing off whom now. Not to mention, we also get to see Kamakiri's Zoan fruit: The Mushi Mushi no Mi Model: Mantis! I always thought it'd be cool to have an insect-type Zoan fruit, so I decided to give Kamakiri the fruit since I wanted him to be a predator in nature. Anyways, as always, please read and review!**

**Reggae Negativa: The user drops into a low guard, with one leg stretched out towards the foe whilst the other is tucked in, with one arm guarding the face and the inner one holding up the user. A sweep-kick can be added in, although it is mainly a defensive move.**

**Country Chapa-De-Costas: A vibrated mule-kick, useful as a follow-up to Reggae Negativa. Rarely used by Jared however.**

**Ah, I'd also like to apologize to Rosencratz if this isn't much of an improvement on the last one, but writing this particular chapter was pretty hard. However, I can almost guarantee that the next chapter will be much better.**


	17. Faith In The Crew

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

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* * *

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"Hyahahahahaha!"

The gleeful yells of the Ensign failed to amuse Jared as he kept hopping backwards to avoid the blades his foe kept swinging at him, the mantis-man proving himself a difficult opponent. Leaping up, he dodged some of the blades, and proceeded to try and drop kick the Ensign in the face with his vibrated legs, attacking with **Progressive Voo-de-Morcego**. However, his foe managed to block with two of his arms, although the force made him skid backwards some distance. With this new distance, Jared landed on his feet and dashed forwards. He had pushed him back, and now it was time for him to attack again.

"**Soul Chibata**!" he yelled loudly, sending a powerful, fast roundhouse-kick with a vibrated leg straight into Kamakiri's side, which Kamakiri was only just able to block with his arm. Even so, the sheer force of the attack managed to send him flying into a building wall, bouncing off of hit hard and hitting the floor. Cracks were to be seen in the wall he had slammed into, and raising himself up, he looked over to the smirking form of Jared and smirked himself.

"Looks like I hit the jackpot… You really are tough as they say, eh? Then again, to escape a Marine Prison, even if it's not Impel Down, you'd have to be skilled, anyways…" Kamakiri commented, bringing his arms up as he entered a stance. "This time, I'll show you real strength! Let up even for a second and you're dead!" he called with a feral grin, dashing in and continuing the battle with Jared.

* * *

"I suppose… You're not like the others, right?" Roi asked, raising a brow as he looked at the Lieutenant before him, frowning. She, on the other hand, seemed to simply smirk at what he said, bazooka still resting on her shoulder. Re-adjusting the bazooka for a moment, she decided to speak, since he seemed oh so interested in listening.

"The way I see it… Somehow, I have to bring you back alive, right? So long as our Prince of Bliss is brought back, we'll have no problem. So, rather than just try to reason with you… I can tell you're not a prisoner. You just want a taste of piracy, and that alone can justify my actions. So you see, it's not a problem for me to do something… like… this!"

With little warning, she pulled the trigger, firing another cannonball at Roi, whose reflexes were honed enough to enable him to dodge the cannonball with a rolling motion along the ground, firing several of his own bullets at her as he drew his pistols. However, she was quick to react, pulling down the bazooka in front of her as a shield, protecting herself. Dashing towards him as he reached his feet again, she raised her bazooka as she got close in an attempt to swing it at him and connect with his face, but he was quick to sidestep, attempting to fire at point-blank range, but her hand moved from the bazooka and slapped his hand away, making the shot go astray, before pivoting, attempting to slam the bazooka into his head. Needless to say, he was quick to leap backwards, only to find that she now had her bazooka aimed straight for him.

With the backwards motion he had going on, he pulled his head back, and he was just able to dodge the shot, which continued on and blew up the fountain behind him, forcing the water from the fountain to explode outwards and shower down upon the area. This was his chance. Quickly, he turned around and ran for it, attempting to escape. In this wide-open space, he had little chance of winning against her, and she proved superior in close combat despite her weapon.

However, Lieutenant Julia Vega was not going to let him escape so easily.

* * *

Slashing sounds echoed throughout the street the two combatants were fighting on, but despite this, if one were to look at the fight, they would see that it was not the bladed-Mantis who held the advantage, but the punk-ish teen he fought.

"**Jazz Armada! Meia-Lua-De-Compasso! Rock Bencao! INDIE QUEIXADA!"**

Kick after kick after kick landed upon the Mantis, and soon enough he was overpowered, the last kick sending his face directly into the pavement, breaking the ground even with the sheer force. Bruises showed on the Ensign's face and body, and his nose had seen better days. Before he had held the advantage, yet now he was being overpowered by this Pirate Captain. Slowly raising himself up with his six arms, he frowned as he caught the look of the pirate – A look of pity. Pity! That very look really pissed off Kamakiri, and standing up slowly, he grit his teeth, anger evident in his expression.

"God damn it… You cocky sonofa… I'm sick of this! Before I was glad I could fight someone so strong… But now… You get in a few lucky hits, and you think you have the right to dare look at me like that?!" he yelled, frowning. "Even if ya kill me, don't forget, there are still the others! Those Lieutenant Junior-Grade twins, the Lieutenant herself… And then there's Thorpe and the Captain! You and your crew could never take them out! In fact, even now… I'm going to kill the Captain himself!"

With this declaration, he charged, yelling a loud battle cry. Dropping into his **Ginga Blues** stance, Jared readied himself as his foe came, who charged with his arms all pulled back, ready to attack with. And as the two neared, he thrust all six arms forwards at once, aiming straight for Jared as Jared responded, sending a kick straight for him.

"**Kamakiri Taihou!**"

"**Country Chapa de Frente!**"

* * *

Running down the streets, Roi looked back for a moment only to duck a moment later as his foe fired another shot. Quickly, he turned around again to fire, only to have his opponent block by lowering the Bazooka as a shield. Turning around and running again, he had decided that this may be an even worse idea. In this street, he was limited to the vertical plane in this fight. Not to mention, he needed distance. His opponent, the Lieutenant, was not going to let him have his way. She kept firing shots, and during those brief pauses between shots, she would shield herself. It wasn't an option to attack while she did: Her shots were far too large. One alone would be enough to defeat him. He needed to get out of her sight for at least a moment.

Continuing to run, he could practically hear it when she made that click, and once again he ducked to the ground as the shot sailed overhead, and quickly he got back up, and rather than shoot at her again, an idea came to mind. Right next to him was a bar, and during the brief moment he had, he threw himself into the window of the bar, shattering the glass as he fell in. People within the bar jumped in fright when it happened, but had no time to think it over as they saw the demon Lieutenant at the window with her bazooka. Instead, they quickly ran out the back way as fast as possible, and as Roi got up, she fired in through the window.

For a moment, time slowed down as there was complete and utter silence. But that was soon replaced by the deafening roar of the explosion within the bar, throwing her back almost from the force as her foe was no doubt at the very least badly injured. With a 'tch', the Lieutenant spoke.

"Crap… Don't tell me he's dead… The Marines will have my head if he is…" she spoke, looking in at the wreckage of the bar for a moment. Tables and chairs were scattered and broken, glasses of liquor shattered and their contents spilled all over the floor. Within the middle was a pile of rubble. Sighing, she lowered her bazooka and walked over to the door. However, she was pushed back as the door was suddenly kicked open, and as she fell back, a large figure seemed to leap out at her, and on reflex she fired, the figure being blast at point-blank by the cannonball.

* * *

The Mantis-like figure was thrown back as the kick landed, his blades not having managed to touch the captain even with the final attack, and he skidded along the ground violently, before beginning to roll around and eventually stop, landing flat on his back. Slowly, the green skin faded and the extra limbs and blades retracted, and soon Kamakiri had reverted to his original self. His face was bloody, and his stomach had just received the worst kick of his life. Cursing, he forced himself to look up at the victor, Jared del Rey, and he spat.

"Dammit all…" he muttered, before finally falling back, the world fading away around him. Sighing, Jared rubbed his shoulders, his head moving to crack his neck.

"Geez, this is more trouble than it's worth… But… Ensign… You said my crew would never win? Well, I may not have known them long, but I know one thing for definite…" he began, smirking as he turned around and began to walk away.

"They'll kick your superiors' asses".

* * *

To Julia's shock, her cannonball had only hit a coat, the one her opponent, Prince Roi du Fusil, had been wearing, and with no time to do anything, she could see him leap out of the bar, his head bleeding, his body bruised all over and no doubt some other injuries under his jagged-ended, torn clothes, and raising his pistols, he fired. And true to his aim, they hit her in the shoulder and side, and the next thing she knew was darkness as the bazooka fell off of her shoulder. Slowly, Roi had gotten up after landing on the ground, and looking at her, he spoke.

"We aren't amused at all… Now I'll need to buy some new clothes…"

**Shinobi-dono: There ya have it! The first two fights, finished. It was tough writing a good fight for Roi, but I think I managed. It's a shame I didn't get to flesh Vega's character out more, but I still have some time to do that later, I suppose. After all, I doubt this is the last time we'll see her ^^**

**Also…**

**Kamakiri Taihou (Mantis Cannon): A fierce, six-bladed thrusting attack with all of Kamakiri's strength behind it. While powerful, it is also reckless and can leave him completely open to counter-attack. **

**Soul Chibata: A powerful roundhouse kick using a vibrated leg, so powerful is this attack that it could potentially hurt Jared as well.**

**Goodbye for now, so please, read and review! And please, if you have an idea for a name for the twins, it would be much appreciated!**


	18. Downfall

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

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Today was not a good day for Tigress nor for Kain. Kain because he hadn't had a decent drink all day, and Tigress for the more obvious reason: The twins chasing after them. They had been running from the Marines for the best part of half an hour by now, and they had shaken off most of them, save the two twins following them. Kain sighed: At this rate he might not get that sake Jared was buying. Turning back, he could see the male twin still looking annoyed, both knives drawn and ready to use, while the girl remained unarmed. Odd, did this mean she was a Devil Fruit user or a martial artist? This he didn't know, and he hoped he didn't have to find out for himself.

"Kain-san! Look ahead! Which way?" came Tigress' voice, and Kain looked forwards again to see a fork in the road. Pondering it for a moment, he came to a decision.

"Left! Left!" he yelled, and so the pair began to dash for that side of the fork, only for something unexpected to happen. As they began to run to that side, Tigress felt something slam into her, and she was thrown down the right side of the fork in the road, away from where they were supposed to be running by his judgement. Looking over, he saw the woman who had been giving them chase now following after Tigress, who had been sent flying from the attack, her arm now resembling more of a giant, metallic club. Definitely what had sent her flying.

"Don't forget about me, bastard!" came an annoyed, male yell, which snapped Kain back to reality. Oh yes, this guy was trying to kill him. Running, he ended up going down the left side of the fork. Translation: He and Tigress were going to have one-on-one battles, it seemed, with these twins.

"Kyaa!" came the feminine yell as Tigress landed, skidding to a halt on the ground before getting up, rubbing her side as she saw the woman, her arm now turning back to normal, approach, a serious look upon her face. Stopping a few feet short of Tigress, she raised her arms, assuming a fighting stance, and spoke.

"Getting up so quickly after a punch like that… You're not normal" she spoke. "Lieutenant Junior-Grade Layla Ferrum, that's the name of the woman who's going to take you in" she spoke, a small smirk showing on her face. Tigress smirked back, and spoke.

"Oh? A little kitten thinks she can fight me? I better make this quick, then…" she answered, orange fur beginning to grow on her face.

* * *

"**WAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!**"

With that yell, both pirate and Marine skidded to a stop, and the Marine assumed a stance. What was it this kid was yelling about? Was he going to fight now? Or…

"I went the wrong way! Ti-chan's now all alone! Quick, I need to get ba-"

"Like hell you are!" yelled the Marine, getting more and more annoyed with this guy every minute. He was more annoying than Kamakiri, even. His brows furrowed, he spoke. "It doesn't make a difference anyway, all of your nakama are going to be killed soon enough. You should be more worried about yourself. You're about to fight one of Captain Van Edgar's precious men, Lieutenant Junior-Grade Knyves Ferrum! Do you think you can get away without a scratch?" he asked, a brow raised. As if to piss him off further, Kain nodded, to which he almost face-faulted. How the hell could such an annoying man exist? However, recovering his composition, he brought up his knives again, and assumed his stance. In response, Kain finally chose to pull out his spear, and now the two looked at each other, never losing eye contact as they waited for the other to make a move.

Eventually, Knyves decided to attack, and quickly he rushed in with his two combat knives held in a back-handed grip, ready to attack his foe. In response, Kain likewise moved to meet him, and quickly thrust his spear forwards to impale his foe on, only for the Marine to sidestep, dodging the spearhead as he moved forwards, this time lashing out with a combat knife, attacking. However, Kain was prepared, and quickly, he pushed the back end of the spear's shaft, rotating it and moving it up to block the attack. Seeing his attack prove futile, Knyves immediately responded, and swung his other knife, attempting to get in a good hit, only for Kain to land a strong kick to the Marine's side, making him stumble to the left, allowing Kain to now make his move.

Following up his kick, Kain spun the spear around and attempted to unleash a slashing attack from above with the spearhead, only for his foe to move aside as he swung. But Kain was not done, for he continued to make narrow swipes with the tip of his spear, keeping his foe at a long range. Up, down, left, right, diagonally, Kain attacked his foe with swift slashes, his foe keeping on the defensive as he evaded the attacks, being forced to retreat from them as they came. Smirking, he watched as the Marine continued stepping backwards, unknowingly being pushed back into a corner as he neared a wall. It was only his back eventually colliding with a wall behind him that he realized, and by that time, Kain had moved in for the finish, aiming to deal a powerful thrust to his chest. To his shock however, his foe moved forwards, and quickly spun on his feet, arching his back to avoid the spear as his elbow extended forwards, dealing a strong blow to Kain's face.

Now it was Kain who stumbled backwards, and with his spear extended and his foe so close, he was unable to defend himself as his foe now rushed in and swiped at him with his knife, managing to swipe through his green shirt and draw blood, causing Kain to flinch in pain as he stumbled back again, and Knyves took this chance to spin about on his foot, and bring forth his back hand to deal another swiping attack with his second knife, this time drawing blood from the shoulder as he attempted to slice through his neck, only failing to do so as Kain pulled his head away. To finalize this combo of attacks, the Marine pulled his back leg in and slammed it into the abdomen of the dragoon, causing him to fall back and land on the ground, tumbling a bit in an attempt to put distance between them. Knyves simply watched as he got away before pulling himself up painfully, the cuts aching.

"Oh? I suppose you've never been cut with a blade. You've done well to endure it though. I have to hand it to you, you're something else with that spear of yours. I haven't fought someone as strong as you since the academy. I'd say you could probably go toe to toe with Kamakiri, even" Knyves commented, regarding his foe with a look of respect. He knew strength when he saw it, after all. He wasn't the kind of arrogant person who'd ignore such strength. Readying his knives, he watched as Kain once again held his spear pointed at him, ready to continue.

"Don't say anything just yet, Pheromone… ("It's FERRUM!", his foe cut in.) I still haven't shown you my real strength…" he commented, and quickly they both speeded forwards, rushing to meet each other half-way, but as the Marine attacked, Kain made his move, and seemed to vanish from the spot in a sudden darting movement, and Knyves was forced to skid to a halt, wondering what it was that was going on. Looking up, he could see a blade coming down upon him, ready to pierce him through the head downwards, and his eyes widened as he saw his foe coming down with it.

"Aeria-"

"**Swift Strider!**"

Before Kain could even call out the name of his attack, he felt a cross of cuts open up on his torso, and he let out a howl of pain as he fell to the ground, crashing unceremoniously as his foe was now in the air, his blades covered in blood as he shot up. Allowing himself to spin in the air, the Marine now looked downwards towards his foe and allowed gravity to take him, shooting down towards his foe as he spun, a cyclone of blades he had become as he attacked again. Eyes widened, Kain gripped his spear and rolled out of the way as his foe landed, having dealt tremendous damage to the ground, cuts and slices now scarring the earth where Kain had once laid.

"**Trench Cutter**" he spoke, looking towards Kain, shooting him a look of serious intent to kill. "My follow up to Swift Strider, it's a downwards slashing attack combining gravity and centrifugal force to deal insane amounts of damage with only my knives. Do you see? Unlike you, whose skill is undeniable yet unrefined, mine is controlled, and thus my attacks attain maximum effect from the simplest of movements. You attack fiercely with speed and strength, but you haven't quite honed your technique yet. Give up, pirate. If you do, I'm sure my Captain will let you live".

Slowly, panting, Kain looked up, using his arms to push himself up off the ground, reaching all fours before propping himself up on his own knees, staring at his foe. He groaned. Those attacks had done a lot of damage. He couldn't let this continue much further. He needed to end it now. He sighed, and now pulled his leg up, before pushing off with that one, raising himself up to his feet, and once more, he assumed a stance, the spear's tip aimed for Knyves. The Marine frowned, and spoke.

"It's useless! Compare us – We're equal in strength and speed, but in combat skill? I'm by far your superior! You haven't even landed a hit yet! Stop making it worse for yourself and give up!" he called out, but the pirate didn't hear him. He shouted to stop, no longer wanting to continue a fight with such a weak and injured man, but still the pirate seemed unable to hear him. Quickly, the fight escalated again, and the pirate shot forwards, spear pointed. Moving in, Knyves likewise moved in to kill, but once more, his foe vanished, and the Marine drew his attention upwards, crossing his arms in front of himself as he did so, ready to deal his Swift Strider move again, and once more took to the sky, watching as his foe came downwards, spear aimed for interception.

"**Swift Strider!!!**"

"**Aerial!!!**"

There was a clashing of blades, echoing throughout the area, and Knyves eyes widened in horrified surprise, the tip of his foe's spear having intercepted his own attack right at the point where his own knives met as they uncrossed, and he could only look up to meet a devilish smirk from his foe. Move his knives away, and he would be impaled. But keep them there, and he would crash. Time seemed to slow down as the two fighters descended, and Knyves could only let out a yell of defeat as they crashed, slamming into the ground, letting out a large shockwave with their crash. Dust was raised, like a curtain, but likewise it was subsequently pulled down, showing a victorious Kain standing over his unconscious opponent, balancing himself up with his spear.

"Heheh… Greater than me in combat potential? Sorry, but… I didn't spend all those years fighting a sea monster for nothing!" he yelled, grinning, only to find himself falling back, the sky taking over his vision. He felt woozy, no longer able to stand, and he would have fallen on his back, were it not for some large force to suddenly tackle him in mid-fall, taking him by surprise and almost knocking him out as he was taken to the ground, only to see Tigress kneeling over him, worried.

"Kain! You're hurt! Don't die, please! DON'T-"

"Ti-chan, I'm not dead. I will die if you don't get off though" he calmly replied, twitching a bit in pain.

"Oh, sorry" she replied, grinning sheepishly as she got off of him, before pulling him up and draping his arm over her shoulder, deciding to help him walk back to the ship.

"Man, you're ridiculous… Not that I don't like that part of ya, but it's amazing how you escaped uninjured, Ti-chan…" he commented, surprised. Looking back to the white-haired man, she grinned, and spoke.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just lucked out, is all…"

* * *

Lying in a pool of her own blood, armor and weapons shattered all around her, Layla cursed, struggling to pull herself up out of the pool, attempting in vain to pull herself back to the headquarters for treatment. Upon realizing it was futile, she cursed again and let herself lie there, panting.

"Damn, that woman… How the hell could she possibly know that…?"

**Shinobi-dono: Yo! How did ya like that chapter? I hope you enjoyed Kain's fight! I tried to make Knyves different to the other Marines, so I made him more reluctant to fight an injured opponent and less arrogant. And surprise surprise! Tigress managed to defeat her foe without getting an injury? How curious! What does this mean? These answers, or possibly none of them at all, will be answered next week!**

**Oh, and as a note, Layla and Knyves' last name means 'Iron', a reference to their metal weapons. Knyves is also a further reference to Nygus from Soul Eater. I chose it since Nygus can transform into a knife, so it fit. Another interesting thing to note – Knyves' attacks are named after Military Knives.**

**Swift Strider – An attack where the user launches themselves upwards, with their arms crossed, and swipes at the foe in an x-formation, dealing great damage to them. Named after the Strider SMF.**

**Trench Cutter – An attack where Knyves, following Swift Strider, shoots downwards from the air, spinning and slashing as he does so, using both centrifugal force and gravity to empower his attack. Named after, of course, the Trench Knife.**

**Now, remember to review, and I'll bring out the next chapter next week for ya'll to read! We're nearing the end of the arc, so bear with me! This is Shinobi-dono, signing out!**


	19. Clashing Powers

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

* * *

The young prince let out a deep breath, panting as he leaned against a wall for support. Ridiculous. How pathetic would it look if someone were to see him now, the Prince of Bliss, reduced to but a tired and battered wreck of what he once was! His clothes were ruined, injuries coated his body, and he was in dire need of rest. But on this island, how much rest could he possibly get? One minute at best, and even then that was stretching it a bit. He needed to keep on the move and find the others. It was important that they-

"Oi! Roi! What happened to you?!"

Ah, it seemed the Captain had found him. Sighing, he turned his head, his cold eyes casting a look at his Captain who, aside from a cut on the cheek, was relatively unharmed and in fact quite well rested (Or perhaps he simply wasn't tired due to his years of martial arts? Who knew?). Muttering a 'tch' beneath his breath, he looked over to the other side of himself, to make sure no one was coming, before speaking, still not looking his own Captain in the eye as he did so.

"We've been split up by a sudden attack launched by a woman with a bazooka. We have defeated her, but we have yet to locate the rest. If anything, we must reunite with them as quickly as possible if we so wish to escape the island" the Prince explained, confusing the young Captain with his use of the Royal 'we'. Nonetheless, he turned about in his spot and pointed down a narrow alleyway. "If we go down that route, we will come back to the square were we fought that woman. Once there, we won't be far from where we split".

Nodding, the Captain quickly pulled the Sniper after him as he ran down the alleyway at a quick pace, hoping that, from where they split up, they would be able to locate the others.

* * *

Cries of pain yelled out as the blade passed through their bodies, missing their vitals as it moved, the wielder moving in and out of the small spaces between the Marines as a snake would, cutting down her foes as she moved, but not killing them. No, this woman wasn't one for killing, simply incapacitating. One after another fell, and as soon as she escaped on the opposite side of the crowd that she had entered, the men and women of the force fell, taken out of it by the woman's technique and skill with the sword. Letting out a sigh, she was quick to replace her sword in her scabbard, before rushing onwards, towards the clock tower. Perhaps she could find her friends by looking from a high place! It usually worked, didn't it? She was sure she could see the better part of Orion from up there!

"I may be separated from them, but I'm not helpless! I can still take down these lesser Marines, and if this works, I can find the others again! If I'm lucky, they'll be in a group altogether so I won't have to go back and forth across the town!" she exclaimed, smiling. Always the optimist, the samurai girl was. But, of course, with the rather quiet Jared (Or so she thought of him) and the cold Roi, she had to be extra positive! Luckily, they also had Kain to keep up the positive vibes! And then there was that woman, Tigress… Was Jared going to let her join? Well, she seemed nice enough, and they got all their food from her…

She stopped. A chill ran down her spine, a tenseness that wasn't there before surfaced, and Saiko could feel a great weight in the air. Not exactly tension, but something more… Something more hostile, more dangerous. A realization soon came to her as she now gripped her blade's hilt tightly, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. This wasn't tension: This was killing intent unlike any other. A killing intent that almost made her feel as if a blade were at her very throat. When the wall to her left blasted open, she was proven right in her judgements as, from the rubble, a fighter emerged, blade ready to be thrust forwards, into her heart as he ran out of the building.

"**Selachi Torpedo!!!**"

Barely able to draw her blade in time, Saiko's own katana clashed with the saber her foe wielded, and despite her efforts to block, she would find that the power behind his thrust was unreal, and in an incredible display of strength, he pushed forwards, throwing her back into the wall of the building behind her, slamming into it with a dull thud, making her flinch in pain. But even so, as she spied the next attack coming, a similar thrusting move, she was quick to pull herself together and leap sideways to avoid the blade as it thrust itself into the wall, the saber now almost completely embedded in the wall. Now with some distance between them, Saiko was able to discern her opponent's features, and took them in well.

A tall, powerful figure, lean, but not without his own layer of muscle, blue skin covering his body from head to toe, wearing a ragged and torn version of the Marine uniform. His hair, long and black, messy and wild, was like a mane down his back, and the sharp teeth and pointed nose, the likewise sharp eyes, filled with that killing intent she felt before, it all reminded her of a beast. Not too far away from the truth, as the being before her was a Shark Fishman. Reacting to her, he turned his head to bring his eyes over to look at her, a smug look on his face. Smirking, he spoke.

"You recover'd quickly. Most don' recover at all, let alone block th' attack. Forgive my behaviour, I s'pose that was too sneaky fer a swordsman like myself…" he commented, before, with apparent ease, he ripped the hanger (Which she had mistaken for a saber before) out of the wall, tearing open a large 'scar' in the wall itself, the rubble falling to the ground in small chunks. Bringing his blade up, he pointed the tip in Saiko's direction and spoke loudly. "Lieutenant Saber Thorpe! On this island, you won't find a stronger Swordsman than me!".

Nodding, Saiko reacted with the same courtesy her foe gave her, assuming her own stance with the blade held firmly in both hands, not too tightly but not too loosely either. "Kawakami Saiko, of the Shinsoku Ittouryuu" she introduced herself, before quickly, the two began, Thorpe dashing towards her with that same incredible speed as before, but this time, as he went for the thrusting attack, she was quick to move, crouching and ducking down into a lower stance, her blade held over her shoulder, curving downwards, both hands gripping it firmly as she attacked, curving it around and attacking with a fierce upwards slash aimed to slice open the Shark Fishman's torso. But, quick as she was, Thorpe's instincts shocked her as he sidestepped the attack, before twisting his own body to slash at her with his extended blade. Despite this, he was only able to just nick her side, and with another, downwards strike, she managed to deal an attack to his shoulder, leaving behind a cut extending downwards as far as his chest from where she entered the shoulder. Quickly swiping at her, he forced Saiko to move away, and put some distance between them.

Pulling his arm back, he once more readied himself for his opening thrust, his eyes narrowing. Ignoring the blood running down his shoulder, he moved, attacking with great speed as he rushed her, ready to thrust his blade forwards as she swung, but to her shock, he feinted, and quickly he clapped his heels as he pulled off a no-handed cartwheel through the air, and once he was positioned just over, he attacked for real, thrusting the blade downwards.

"**Selachi Harpoon!!!**" he called, watching as his blade thrust downwards and pierce her through, running straight through her from her shoulder to the abdomen, where it exited from her. He grinned, looking at her face, before, suddenly, her image faded away, leaving only the kimono she was wearing, torn and ragged, with a small amount of blood staining where he had pierced it. Frowning, as he landed he looked over to one side, where she now stood in her stance, blade sheathed as she was ready to try another drawing technique, now only clad in her hakama and the white bandages that covered her breasts, her eyes focused on him. His technique wasn't a total failure, he found, as his blade managed to leave a shallow but long laceration along her shoulder, down across her chest.

"Pretty quick, ain't ya? An' here I thought you'd be cannon fodder. Guess ya exceed my expectations, Kawakami. But you've only tasted my thrustin' technique!" he called out, yet again assuming his stance, crouched slightly with one arm holding the hanger, pulled back whilst his free hand was extended forwards, aiming for her. His grin was stretched across his face. "Jus' now, that was Tenjin Hippou, right? High-speed movement… I'll crush that technique of yours right now!".

Bursting out from his starting position, like a bullet shooting out from a gun, his powerful legs carried him forwards as he dashed towards her, moving quickly to cover ground. But Saiko was likewise quick to move, dropping into a crouching stance lower than Thorpe's and shooting forwards at high speeds, utilizing her low stance to greatest effect and gaining incredible speed. The two combatants neared each other, the Marine utilizing the incredible strength behind his thrusting attack and the Pirate utilizing her sheer speed to make her slices far more deadly. Closing in on each other, the two were quick to act, and quickly Saiko drew her blade, attacking with a Battoujutsu attack just as he did with his piercing attack. Both combatants could feel shockwaves lash out from their blades as they clashed, and with a battle cry they both continued to attack, a flurry of slashes and stabs attacking each other, one wrong move leading to the death of the other combatant. Locking blades, they both pushed against each other, before the Fishman's strength won over and threw her backwards.

Unlike before however, Saiko recovered in mid air and landed on her feet, taking off with another use of Tenjin Hippou towards her foe as he rushed her, stabbing forwards with his blade. Rolling to one side as he attacked, she avoided the attack and quickly swung her blade as she leapt towards him, aiming to slice through him, but even as she landed a good, clean slice into his torso, leaving a cut across his chest and abdomen, he was quick to counter attack, sending his blade straight towards her at close range.

"**Selachi Torpedo!!!**" he called, his blade impaling her straight through the abdomen. Blood flew out from the sides of the wound, her hacking as the blade entered only allowing for some more droplets of blood to escape as the force of such a close-range move combined with his incredible Fish-Man strength throwing her backwards, off of the blade and down the lane, crashing into the ground a few times like a rock that had been skipped across the water before eventually stopping, her blood now staining the lane where she had been crashing into the ground.

Looking down his long, pointed nose at her, Thorpe smirked, his blood-coated sword raised up and pointing over to her. Ignoring his own wounds, he made no move to patch up the large scars she had inflicted on his body. Instead, his free hand simply rose up and ripped off his Marine shirt, tossing the blood-stained mess to the ground as he gazed at her.

"That's the first time ya took it directly, right? Powerful, ain't it? That's all the strength of a Fishman, forced into one, razor-sharp point. You just took all of that force straight to your stomach, or at least somewhere around that area. I don't know much about medicine, but… You ain't gettin' up no more" he told her, before lowering his blade and sighing, shaking his head. "A real shame…" he started, turning on his spot as he prepared himself to leave. "I was hoping for someone who could kill me…".

With that said he made to leave, but something stopped him, as if an invisible rope or chain pulled him back, not allowing him to move away. Not allowing him to leave. As if it were telling him to finish what he started and kill her. But that was ridiculous. She was dead either way. And she couldn't move! So why was it he was being told to go back? Why-

"Don't… I'm not… Done…"

Those words, voiced by a woman on her last legs, caught his attention, and quickly he turned about on his spot, his eyes widened as he saw the injured woman standing there, one hand holding her sheathed blade, the other holding her wound. Her eyes… They held a determination that completely won over her normally optimistic and cheerful look. The look of a warrior, he noted. The look of someone who would rather go down swinging than be left to die in the dirt. His eyes widened for a moment, surprised she could still stand, but he reminded himself – She was on her last legs. One more attack ought to do it. One more attack, and she'd be dead. His sternness took over his face again, and quickly he raised his blade, his eyes telling her to move when ready. Before she made any move, he only said one last thing.

"Sorry about that, this time I'll kill you on your feet, so you can die like a warrior".

Letting out their battle cries once more, both swordfighters dashed towards their foe, the Fishman known as Thorpe putting all of his strength behind his attack, readying the piercing technique for one last move, to kill her just as he said he would. His foe, once more choosing a Battoujutsu technique, utilized her low stance to the ground to maximise speed, and charged her foe like a rhinoceros, closing the distance between herself and her larger foe in mere moments. And once close enough, she leapt forwards as he pushed his blade forwards with one hand, all of his power packed behind it. Pulling her blade out of it's scabbard, she swung, and both warriors gave one last battle cry.

"**SELACHI TORPEDO!!!**"

"**Battoujutsu:** **Hachiman Geki!!!**"

In a sudden, unprecedented display of attacking speed, Thorpe found himself completely and utterly defenceless as she drew her blade with such speed and delivered an almost supersonic barrage of attacks, not only stopping and knocking away his own blade, but delivering cut after cut, slash after slash and laceration after laceration to his body, cutting it up with a multitude of attacks so fast that he felt as though, should he blink, he would miss it all. He wasn't sure when it was over, but when it did, he remembered that even then, for a few moments everything was quiet, slowed down to him while she remained at normal speed. It was only after she came to a stop behind him that blood gushed out like a fountain from all the cuts and lacerations on the front of his torso, before, quickly, he fell, defeated.

And shortly after he fell, so did his foe.

**Shinobi-Dono: Yo! How're ya- Oh, crap, you noticed? Damn, I thought I could get away with being a week late but…! No, I must face this like a man and commit Hara Kiri! *Takes out a blade***

**HARA KIRI! TEKKAI!**

***Sword breaks against his Tekkai***

**I can't die~! Well, since I have failed in both Hara Kiri and keeping up with my own pace, I must offer you an explanation! As both a combination of requiring time to come up with cool attack names for Thorpe, as well as spending the best part of the week in Meath, I was unable to update last week! I hope that this chapter makes up for it! If not, please send me a blade that is stronger than Tekkai.**

**And now for the attacks~!**

**Selachi Torpedo - Named after the Superorder that Sharks belong to, this is essentially a direct, stabbing attack using all of the user's force behind it. As Thorpe is a Fishman, this is very, very powerful.**

**Selachi Harpoon - An attack from above that follows the same principle as Selachi Torpedo, although gravity does aid slightly in boosting the attack's power.**

**Battoujutsu: Hachiman Geki (Drawing Technique: Eighty Thousand Strikes) - A Battoujutsu (Drawing Technique) that utilizes the user's incredible speed gained through Tenjin Hippou and the full drawing speed of the user to deal a powerful barrage of attacks that can overwhelm an opponent of similar power. It uses a lot of strength however, and is typically a finishing move. Named for the god of war, Hachiman.**

**See ya next time!**


	20. The Captain's Battle

One Piece: New Voyage

Disclaimer: Me no own One Piece.

* * *

"Come on! Where are they?!" the tense Pirate Captain spoke aloud, annoyed with the current situation. Even with all of this rushing around the town, defeating the lesser Marines on the island that tried to hinder them, neither Captain nor Sniper was capable of locating their missing crewmembers and friend. As another few of the Marines came, Jared, with little patience for them, was quick to deal out numerous kicks that took them out, defeating them with only a sample of his power.

'_I hadn't quite noticed how strong the Captain is even without his Devil Fruit… Still, no time to muse on that, time is of the essence. If we can locate the others, we can escape, but as long as we have no idea where they are, we can't leave… An annoying situation to be stuck in…' _the Sniper thought to himself, attempting to work out how to make this situation work for them. Sadly, even the most tactical mind of the crew saw little profit in this situation. The advantage was to the Marines.

"Here they are! Men, ready those cannons and fire!"

Hold on, did he just say cannons?! Both Jared and Roi cursed as they froze for a moment as the Marines brought out the cannons they spoke of, putting them at the front of the group before lighting them, and with no escape from the road they were on, Jared was forced to think quickly as the cannons blasted, firing their cannonballs at them. No time left to think now that the force had fired on them, Jared was quick to grab his crewmate, and in one jerking motion pulled the man up with him, leaping into the air. Failing to reach the height the pirates had attained in Jared's jump, the cannonballs sailed on below them, exploding as the collided with the ground further up the street. The Marines, failing to expect this, were too stunned to continue for a moment, only to soon scramble for their guns, but before any could move, the sniper attacked first, firing his own pistols at them, disabling the use of their guns by either pinning them under fire or shooting their hands.

Landing down in the middle of the crowd of Marines, both pirates now made their move, Roi combining his natural agility and skill with guns to take out his foes with a strange form of Gun kata, using the guns as clubs or like tonfa rather than as guns, most likely to preserve his ammunition, if he had any left. The Captain, more well versed in close-combat, fought off the Marines as they came, a flurry of kicks and punches delivered in swift, dance-like motions keeping them at bay. In little time the crowd was felled, and both pirates were able to relax for a moment.

"Geez, jumping over the cannonballs? Couldn't you have done something that didn't leave us open? Or were you hoping I would try to stop them from shooting at us?" the Prince spoke, only for the Captain to reply with a shrug.

"Not like planning things is easy. I don't think on my feet that much, it just comes to me…" he commented, before looking over to his partner. Shock showed itself on his features as, while looking over to the Sniper, his attention was drawn to a strong-looking man with a Marine Coat draped over his shoulders, large and muscular, but at the same time not one who exuded a lack of intelligence in favor of brute force. Time slowed for Jared, feeling as if the time it took for him to open his mouth and say anything to warn Roi was an eternity, and before those words could escape his mouth, a powerful blow slammed into the side of the Prince's head, who, not noticing the Marine behind him, was caught completely off guard, sent flying down the path way, incapable of stopping himself as he crashed again and again against the ground before finally stopping as he crashed into a dead end. Time started up at this moment, and Jared made to move towards Roi in an attempt to help him, only for a second blow to come – this time slamming into Jared's stomach, winding him.

"Did I give you permission to go after him, hm?" came the mocking remark of the man, watching as Jared fell to his knees, catching his breath desperately. Smirking, the Marine was quick to grab him by the shirt, lifting him up to eye level to get a good look at the pirate, who by this point seemed to be glaring straight at the Captain, this time getting a better look at his face. Young, but definitely matured enough to be adult, with dark stubble growing on his chin, sharp, piercing eyes, a mess of dark hair, flicking out every which way, as well as a malicious smirk on his features. "Perhaps you don't know me, but I've been watching you guys for a while. Well, to say you in particular would give the wrong idea, wouldn't it? Any Pirate wanting to get to the Grand Line passes here, and thus any Pirate who is looking for supplies comes here. Or at least, they used to. When I came, all your fellow pirates stayed clear of here, afraid. Afraid because any Pirate who came close was-"

Giving the Marine Captain no time to continue speaking, Jared quickly slapped away the hand that grabbed his shirt and, in one swift and powerful movement, swung his leg up in a roundhouse kick, aiming to slam his vibrated leg into the side of the Marine's head. But despite his efforts, the Marine was quicker, bringing his arm up and holding it stead beside his face, taking the full force of Jared's blow. As no apparent damage was left behind, no bruise or anything to show for it, Jared only stared in silent horror, too out of it to stop the Marine as he brought his other hand up, and slammed his fist into Jared's cheek, sending him slamming back into a wall behind him. And like a predator, before Jared could even recover, the Marine was on him again, attacking with a fierce combination of punches coming in from left and right, rapidly dealing blows into the Pirate, brutally attacking without end. Under the force of the blows, Jared, defenseless, began to panic. Blows were raining in from everywhere all at once, he could feel the pain from the damage flowing through his very being. He almost howled in pain as the blows came, but was unable to even get a whimper out as a blow slammed into his face as he was about to yell.

"Pirate!" the Marine Captain yelled, as if Jared was really listening to what he had to say as punch after punch came for him. "See the difference between us? This is the difference between one who seeks Justice, and one who goes against that! This is the 'Envoy of Justice's' Justice!" he yelled, slamming one final punch into Jared's stomach, the wall crumbling under the weight of the power behind the Marine's last attack, and Jared found himself falling through the air for a moment before rolling along the ground. Cursing, he brought his head, up, finding the shocked faces of a family eating dinner staring at him, only to look up towards the Marine and, in fear of angering him, they quickly resumed eating, sweating nervously. But by the time they resumed eating Jared was no longer paying attention, as he was pulled up off the ground with a violent jerk and thrown back into the street, his disoriented state preventing him from being able to stand. He groaned as his head throbbed, distracting him from the outside world for a moment. Managing to get up to one knee, his hand still pushing against his knee to keep the rest of his body up, he turned his head up weakly, staring into the Marine's threatening eyes. By this point Jared's nose was bleeding, his jaw felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer, his bones felt like they had been pulverized, no doubt from his barrage of punches earlier. Grabbing Jared's head, not even allowing Jared a moment to ready himself, the Marine threw his foe to the ground, slamming his head against concrete.

"Jared de Danser… Wanna know my name? Since you're about to die, I'll give you that privilege at least. Remember it well, 'cause it's the name of the man who sent you to hell" he started, his hand still firmly clasped to the head of the Pirate as he pulled him up, bringing them face to face once more. "Jan Van Edgar, remember it!"

And with that, Jared's vision turned to black as he felt himself being thrown to the ground once more.

* * *

"We have to keep moving! Come on!" yelled the young woman as she helped along her injured, white-haired friend, running quickly to escape the Marines chasing after them. Defeating them would be easy normally, but with Kain injured as he was, it wasn't a smart idea to take them on while he was unprotected. Stumbling along with her, he tried to keep up, one hand firmly gripping his spear, the other arm over her shoulder, as she was helping him to stand still.

"Geez, these guys just don't give up!" Kain commented as he tried to run with her, the Marines still giving relentless chase. Oh if only he could walk by himself, then these guys would be a piece of cake! Chocolate cake! Hm… He actually felt in the mood to eat some chocolate cake right now… And sake, he definitely needed sake. Sake went well with everything after all. It was the ultimate drink, he noted. Actually, even sake by it's lonesome would be enough, he thought to himself, being the ultimate drink and a-

"Tenjin Hippou!" his thoughts were interrupted by the call, and, turning his head up to see, he watched in surprise as the feminine figure came rushing past them, a blur to his vision, and as he turned around with Tigress, both were shocked as the wave of Marines was struck down, taken out of it in a display of skill, speed and power, slashes cutting down foes were it not for the fact the Samurai was using the back of her blade. Skidding to a halt, the figure sheathed her blade as the Marines fell, defeated. Deep breaths escaped the Samurai's mouth as she turned around to look at Kain and Tigress, and both were surprised to see Saiko, standing there despite the fact that blood was still flowing from the rather large wounds she had sustained, before smirking.

"It's gonna take more than… Oh boy…" she muttered, only to fall once more a second later. Needless to say, both Tigress and Kain sweatdropped.

"Geez, who the hell does she think needs saving?" Kain voiced their thoughts, before making his way over to Saiko with Tigress' help, to retrieve their crewmate.

* * *

"Tch, all units, report! The hell is with you today? This is your Captain telling you to reply!" the Captain called into his Ko Den Den Mushi, annoyed at the lack of a response he was receiving. Could they have possibly all been defeated? No, there was no way that could happen. Most likely, even if Kamakiri, Vega, Layla and Knyves had fallen, Thorpe would have decimated the rest of the pirates. So how come, then, he wasn't getting an answer? He frowned. Thorpe couldn't have possibly been defeated too, could he? That was impossible, wasn't it? However, as the Ko Den Den Mushi began to ring again, he smirked, and clicked the button on the shell. "About damn time, repo-"

"Captain! Units one through seventeen have been taken out! Ensign Kamakiri has been found unconscious, as well as Lieutenants-Junior Grade Knyves and Layla Ferrum and even Lieutenant Vega! But that isn't the worst part!" the Marine on the other end spoke, as if barely able to believe the news himself. "Just now, we found Lieutenant Thorpe lying on the ground with possibly-fatal injuries! We're rushing him and the other wounded to the medical bay as we speak!".

Jan only stood there, speechless as the words echoed in his head. A frown overtaking his features, he almost crushed the poor snail in his hands, before hanging up, refusing to listen any more to their words, and shoving the Ko Den Den Mushi in his pocket. Grasping his Captain's Justice Coat with one hand, he pulled the coat off and threw it to the ground, glaring at the Captain of a crew he had thought would be pushovers. "You're really pissing me off, you pirate son of a bitch…" he commented, his hands balling into fists. Slowly he stepped forwards, nearing the figure lying on the ground, before lifting him up by his shirt once more, meeting the face of a barely conscious man staring back at him. As if sick of looking the Pirate in the face, he slammed the pirate into the wall near them, before dealing a strong punch to his side, causing the pirate to scream in pain, apparently awakened by the sensation, before slumping down to the ground, helpless. Turning on the spot, the Marine Captain now began to walk off, a new sense of anger boiling in his veins.

"You can lie there and die. I'm not just sick of you anymore, Danser, but of that god damn crew of yours! So I'll be back, and when I am, I'll show you the mangled mess of what's left of your Crewmates' corpses!" he called, a rage unlike anything before welling up in him, a dangerous, intense aura about him. A killing intent that surpassed anything Jared had ever felt before, as though it would strangle him if he strayed too close to the Marine Captain in this state. Fighting him… Ha! What the hell had he been thinking, trying to go against this guy in the first place? Ever since the beginning of this, that man had been brutally attacking him, to the point that Jared was incapable of not only retaliating but even defending himself. One couldn't call that a fight. If anything, that was just the utter annihilation of Jared de Danser. He could barely feel anything outside of the pain. The brutal beating he had just received was unlike anything else he had ever felt in his life. There was no way he could defeat that man, no way at all, and yet…

"OI! EDGAR!" came the loud yell of the Pirate Captain as he pushed himself up, using the wall as a support for a moment before standing up himself, panting as he cast a cold, hard glare unto the Marine Captain before him. "I don't know about you but… I'm still ready to keep fighting! I swear… Before you even touch them… I'll beat you seven ways to Sunday!" he called, maintaining eye contact with Jan as he turned about, frowning as he saw the opponent he thought was beat stand up again, only to smirk a moment later.

"Fine, let's decide this, shall we?"

* * *

**Shinobi-dono: Behold! The first part of the fight between Jared del Rey and Jan Van Edgar! I hope you liked it, it was a bit more difficult to write than the previous chapters. Still, I hope you enjoyed this reading experience ^^**

**Anyways, please review, it gives me inspiration.**


	21. Pirate Captain Jared de Danser

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I no own One Piece.**

* * *

"**Jazz Armada! Rock Bencao! Metal Ponteira! Soul Chibata!**"

A powerful reverse roundhouse kick, a devastating frontal push-kick, a quick snap kick and finally a strong roundhouse kick was sent slamming into the Marine Captain as Jared attacked, attempting to overwhelm the Marine Captain completely by attacking in a large rush of combinations, giving the Marine no time to counter. But despite his strengths, each time the Marine Captains was able to take the hits, shrugging them off as though, rather than collide with himself, they had simply slammed into a heavy armour that no sword could pierce, that no blow could dent. And yet, all his foe had to protect himself was but his own body, his own powerful muscles and strength. His arm swung out, clashing with another kick courtesy of the Pirate, and with the kick successfully blocked, he kept his eye open to see the pirate hop off of his other foot, entering the air and delivering a drop-kick straight to the Marine's chest, but Jan Van Edgar didn't care.

Rather than block, he simply braced himself, and the pair of feet slammed into his chest, all of the power behind the kicks slamming into his chest, the high-speed vibration of his body amplifying that power. And yet, despite this, the Marine failed to budge, and as the Pirate pulled back his legs and landed on his feet, he could only watch in surprise, wondering if the blood loss had gotten to him as he saw the man simply smirk back. And that smirk, he knew, was no ordinary smirk – It was the smirk of a predator. Rushing in, the Marine Captain began his assault yet again, powerful punches coming in from left and right, raining down upon the Pirate Captain as he moved in and out, trying to dodge them, not wanting to go through the ordeal of punches slamming into him again, yet he could only dodge so much in his weakened state, and as fate would have it, a powerful hook slammed into his cheek from god-knows-where, knocking him out of his mind for a moment before a second, haymaker-like punch slammed into his chest, sending him skidding back along the ground, small stones tearing up his back a little as he slowed down in momentum before eventually coming to a stop, pushing his palms down against the ground on either side of him, hoping to lift himself up.

"Is this is, Pirate?"

Deep breaths came now, his body searching for oxygen.

"It's a damn shame, ya know. For someone who could get up after that beating, it looks like you were all talk…"

Slowly he rose up a little, his knee coming up closer to his body.

"Still, can't exactly let you go, can I? This is the end of the line, Pirate…".

Now on all fours, his body tired and hurting all over, he coughed violently, a small speckle of blood splashing against the ground as he did so. Struggling, his head rose up, to see what was before him, but all he saw was a hand enveloping his face, grabbing his head tightly.

"Die as the scum you are, Pirate!" the Marine Captain spoke as he pushed forwards with his hand, throwing the pirate back to the ground, slamming his head into the concrete viciously, no respect whatsoever for the life of the young teenager before him. Jared screamed in pain, the dull throbbing in his skull making him almost want to rip his own brain out, the blood from his head dripping out, pooling around his head. The pain was horrible, unlike anything he had ever felt before, flowing through his body like the blood in his own veins. Pushing his hands down against the ground again however, he sought to rise up again, to fight against the demon before him, but even as he got onto one knee, another punch came, slamming him down, as if telling him that it was futile to continue. But even so, the pirate chose to get a grip on the ground and push up again, only to, even quicker this time be dealt a powerful blow to the head, knocking him down into the ground.

_'I… Can't stop myself…'_

Letting out a battle-cry, he rose again, attempting to return attack, but another blow took him down.

_'I know I should give up… But I can't…'_

Roaring again, he pushed again, rising onto all fours this time before taking another fist to the back, making him fall flat on his face again from the force.

_'I know it's stupid… Even insane to continue…'_

Howling out his battle-cry again, he pushed up, attempting to reach out to Jan.

_'But even so… I… I…'_

Another punch flew, aiming to knock down Jared once more.

_'My body is telling me to attack! My body wants me to attack!'_

Rather than take the hit however, in a sudden burst of what could only be explained as adrenaline, Jared pushed off and skidded slightly to the side as he entered a spin, pivoting on one foot as the other swung around, and the Marine Captain's eyes widened as it came.

_'If I can't face down this beast… I should give up my dream!'_

_--Flashback--_

"_Ah… Nothin' like smokin' on a nice summer mornin'… My, if only I learned to appreciate just how good peace like this was when I was younger…" came the mutterings of a man, not so old he could have grandchildren but his hair, short and black with spiky ends, beginning to grey. A pair of sandals covered his feet, dark shorts reaching just beyond knee-length covering his legs whilst his chest went bare, showing off his muscular frame, big enough muscles to make him tough-looking, but lean enough to make him flexible. An eternal smile was present on his face, his chin home to a dark goatee. Hopping off of the rock he sat on, he landed in soft sand, smiling to himself as the smoking pipe rested between his lips. Gazing out to the setting sun once more, shining on the horizon of the sea, he made to move, returning home, only to stop as his eyes were brought to the shoreline._

_There, on the beach, washed in with the tide, was a small boy with brown hair, messy and wet, his clothes little more than rags, ripped and torn. Choosing to inspect further, he stepped forwards, nearing the poor young kid, looking upon him with a simple gaze, as if deducing what the best thing to do would be in this scenario. Lifting his knee up, his shin dangling from it's position in the air, he looked down upon the young kid, and spoke._

"_WAKE-UP KICK!!!"_

"_GACK!!!" cried the boy as the kick slammed into his midsection, the shock forcing him to expel the water in his body, spurting out and back into the ocean where it belonged before the kid fell back down, confused and groaning in slight pain. Looking up to the owner of the foot, who at this point seemed to be looking him over, his gaze suggesting interest, the boy frowned, his eyes narrowing as his lips parted. "You're a horrible person, you know that?" the kid asked, raising a brow. As if in response, the elder man simply laughed, grinning widely as he looked over the young kid, and removing his smoking pipe, he spoke._

"_The name's Musica, what's yours, kid?"_

* * *

_  
_

"_Oi, Jared! That's not yours!" called a certain pipe-smoking man as a young kid, brown hair tied back into a ponytail wearing jeans with no shoes and no shirt, grabbed an apple from a vendor's stall, only looking over briefly to his guardian before turning back to the apple and putting it back, sighing before rejoining the side of the pipe-smoking man, who simply walked ahead with him. The two made way down the street, the man smiling his eternal smile as he smoked his pipe, the young kid's eyes darting from one place to another, incapable of focusing on any one thing for a moment. _

"_My, no matter how old I get, walkin' down the streets of Karate Island always makes me feel young. What about you, kid? Feelin' like yer still in yer mother's womb?" he asked, gaze turning to the kid as he scoffed, his eyes turning to look at the old man, a smirk on his face._

"_No matter how young you feel, you're still an old guy. I bet it's difficult, being unable to pick up women at your age, hm?" the kid poked fun back, only to sweatdrop as the older man sighed, a depressed look on his face._

"_You sure stab where it hurts…"_

"_Some old man you are… Shouldn't you be far more confident at your age?"_

_All of a sudden, the two stopped. Or rather, Musica had chosen to stop, and wondering what it was, the young disciple likewise stopped. For a moment the tension was thick, Jared feeling like something was about to happen. What it was, he had no idea, instead his eyes were fixed upon the older man, whose expression seemed to hide every motive behind why he might have stopped. However, the grin spreading across his face acted as the signal._

"_That's IT! I'll regain my confidence! And you, my lad! Together, we'll enter that tournament and kick the shit out of everyone!!!" he yelled in excitement, his finger darting forwards and pointing to the poster on the pole before them, advertising a martial arts tournament that was to be held in one month. With a smirk, Jared pumped his fists up, likewise excited to join in the tournament and fight with his master._

"_Hell yeah!" both yelled, grinning as they rushed off, ready to get back to training as quickly as possible. They only had a month, after all. And of course, as they ran, neither one noticed an old bounty poster falling from a wall nearby, big words and a picture of a man in his thirties smoking a pipe alerting people to look out for him_

**Wanted Dead or Alive**

'_**Requiem Musica'**_

_**350,000,000 Beli**_

* * *

_Hacking, a violent fit of coughing erupted from the bed of a man who, in any other condition, would be smiling a big smile like he always did, but now held only a weak look about him. He had lost weight, his skin was greying quicker than it had before he had become afflicted with illness, and at his side was a young boy, bringing him medicine and a bottle of water. Worry and panic gripped the heartstrings of the young boy, whose eyes showed only despair, fright at the thought of losing his master – his father._

"_Jared-HACK! Jared!" he called between coughs weakly, gripping the hand of the young child next to him. "I…" he would have continued, but another fit of coughing interrupted him, causing the young kid to jump with fright again._

"_Musica! Musica, please! You need to rest! You can make it through this! You-" the boy's worries were silence as the older man's eyes gazed over to him, a small smile forming on his lips. _

"_Don't worry…" he spoke, weak from the pain of the illness, his throat raspy. "You've got a full life ahead of you… What's there to worry about? I'm the idiot who went and got himself sick after all…"._

_Turning his head towards the ceiling, he closed his eyes, smirking a little more. "You know, I once had a friend who wore that same look whenever I was sick… A young lad at the time, we both were lads, actually. Just two kids on a pirate ship…" he told the young disciple, his eyes opening again as he turned his head back to look him in the eyes. "But we were separated long ago. We never found each other again, and maybe that's what I regret most about this… God, I look pathetic, don't I? I'm just like any other guy on his deathbed… Not really an end fitting a guy like me, eh?" he asked, smirking a bit, only to erupt in a bout of coughing again, causing Jared to stir, surprised again and worry taking over, but a firm grip on his hand told him to sit there and wait. The coughing subsiding, Musica gazed up at him, and from the corner of his eye, a small tear formed._

"_Kid, live a full life, live an adventurous life. And if you ever meet that friend of mine… Could you apologize? I don't want him to think I forgot about him" he spoke, his hand letting go of Jared's hand and cupping his face for a moment, before falling to his side, his eternal smile etched forevermore upon that cold, dead face. Before tears could even burst from Jared's eyes, the doors were broken open, and Marines, aiming to take down the Requiem, entered, and pulled Jared away from his father…_

_--End Flashback--_

_'If I can't face this man, I can never face my Father!!!'_

Letting out a loud battle cry, he swung his leg, a powerful, explosive reverse-roundhouse kick slamming into the side of the Marine Captain, shockwaves spreading out from the point of impact. But even after the cries of battle died, a cry of pain rushing up from his leg escaped Jared, and without even leaving a bruise on the Marine Captain, he fell, blood loss and pain, fatigue and injury taking down the Pirate Captain.

This was Jared de Danser's first ever defeat.

* * *

**Shinobi-dono: And there you have it! The conclusion to the Jared vs. Jan fight! How did you like it? Did you enjoy the flashback? Writing Musica was fun, I'll tell ya that. Well, I'll see ya next week. Until then, please, review!**


	22. Talks

**One Piece: New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

* * *

Awaking after a vicious beating left one confused and unsure what was going on, Jared realized.

The way he woke up now was just indicative of that. After all, while unconscious, one couldn't be expected to be aware of what had been going on during the stage of nothingness, and that, as a result, left those who woke up dazed and confused. And, in Jared's case, in a lot of pain. Bones and muscles throughout his body ached, his entire body feeling horrible after that beating he had been put through. Even when his eyesight focused, it took him a while to be capable of registering anything around him, as most of his brainpower was focused on the pain from his injuries in battle. Actually, battle wasn't the right word. Battles weren't so one-sided. He had stood no chance of being able to defeat that man. The realization took over him, and, in a swift movement of his hand slapping his forehead (Which, he realized, he shouldn't have done – His arms were aching, too), he found himself cursing loudly. That man, Jan Van Edgar, the Marine Captain he had fought, had completely beaten him down, battered him. No doubt he was in a jail cell, awaiting execution. He failed. He failed not only himself, and his Father, but the crew. He had failed them especially. Roi was no doubt in custody too, having been with Jared, and the others were no doubt hunted down by Jan. And if Jared stood no chance against him, he doubted his crew could have done anything to stop him. No, if anything, it was definite that they had been caught.

Until, of course, a realization dawned on him. What kind of prison swayed back and forth and had wooden walls and ceilings?

Sitting upright, he found that he was in bed. _His_ bed. A bed he definitely should _not _be in. What had happened? How did he get here? Was he being taken to Bliss? He'd understand it, after all, this was their ship, and he'd no doubt be hanged there for being the Captain. But then another thing dawned on him: Why was he in the Captain's Quarters, then? Surely they'd find somewhere else to throw him, right? But then he looked down – Bandages, covering his body. It wasn't exactly the best work he'd seen, but he didn't expect it to be. But why? Didn't that guy say he'd kill him? Why bother treating someone who was going to die anyway? He frowned. What was up with this situation? What was going on? He needed an answer, because the whole entire situation was confusing him and making a big mess of things. He looked around – Yep, everything was as it should be, everything was neatly put away. So what was going on then, he wondered? Why was he still alive? Looking down, he seemed to enter a state of deep thought, wondering what it was exactly that was going on. It confused him, everything. But before his mind could give him an answer, a slight sinking in the far end of the bed's mattress brought his attention up, to find a young woman smiling back at him. Long, dark hair, bandages wrapped around her body, visible under the white kimono she wore, belted at the waist with an obi sash. Rather than wearing her standard hakama, she seemed to go without it, instead letting the length of the kimono cover her legs. He recognized her face instantly – Saiko.

"So, Jared-Sencho, it seems you're awake. Feeling better?"

In truth, Jared wanted to answer, but he was still too confused to come up with anything to say, earning a small chuckle from his First Mate.

"My, you sure are polite. And I was being polite, too" she added, managing to snap Jared out of his thoughts completely.

"O-Oh, sorry" he finally answered. "What… What happened? What's going on? Is Roi – "

"He's fine, Jared" she told him, standing up. With a few steps she neared him, smiling still. "If anything, he saved you. After you were knocked unconscious, he managed to hit the Captain in the leg with a bullet, hoping he'd stop him. But man, that guy… Even with only one leg, he was a monster. If we hadn't run as fast we could, we never could have gotten you and Roi, let alone ourselves, out of there…" she commented, remembering the Captain. That man… He was so strong, scary even. Although, turning her attention back on her Captain, she smirked, bringing her face closer to his, alerting Jared for a moment. Was something on his face? What was it? "My, you've lost your stutter, Jared-Sencho. Does this mean you're not shy around girls anymore, or is this just something special just for me?" she asked, smirking. His face turning a slight shade of pink, Jared looked away.

"I'm not shy around women! I just… Ah…"

Her giggling seemed to calm him somewhat, easing the ache. Smiling, he turned back, finding that she stood upright again, so that their faces were no longer so close.

"Well, I guess it's a nice touch. After all, I wouldn't want to have to have all my conversations with my Captain being fairly one-sided. I hope you've lost it completely, I like you better without it" she commented, turning to leave, but as he grabbed her wrist, she turned her head to look back at him, seeing a somewhat more guilt look from the Captain.

"Saiko… I'm sorry. For losing to that Captain, for landing at that island. I mean, we could have just gone to a different island, or even just rationed our supplies until we reached the Grand Line. And I chose to go to an island where such a strong guy was. If I had known he was so strong, I-" Jared was cut off as a finger was pressed to his lips, silencing him as the young woman smiled back at him one last time before speaking.

"Don't. Maybe it was a stupid idea to go to such a place, but if we hadn't gone there, we wouldn't have been able to develop such a strong bond. This is our crew's first battle, and there'll be many battles ahead. If we hadn't gone in there and fought, we'd be unprepared for the enemies of the Grand Line. After all, there are so many strong guys there, it'd make sense to get some practice in, right?" she asked, slowly pulling her hand away as she turned back once more, making way for the exit. "Get some sleep, okay? We'll reach the Reverse Mountain by tomorrow, and you deserve rest".

As she left, she hadn't seen the small smile on Jared's face.

"Thanks"

* * *

Sitting out on the pier, looking out over the sea, the Marine Captain, a large man with dark hair, messy and unkempt, his Captain's Justice Coat draped across his back, found himself annoyed. No, not just annoyed, furious. For the first time ever, someone had escaped his hands, and all because of a single bullet! The fact that the man who escaped was but a mere 15,000,000 Beli Bounty did nothing to ease this, instead it simply added fuel to the fire. How could he let such a weakling get through? How could he let someone like him escape him, of all people? He clenched his fists, and, in anger, slammed his fist into the cement, cracking it under the force of his punch. He ignored the small droplets of blood dripping from one of his knuckles after the punch. This wasn't the first time he punched the cement, after all. No, by now the ground had so many dents it looked like someone had been pounding at the ground all day with a hammer of some sort. He growled.

"Something wrong, Captain Van Edgar?" came a tough, feminine voice. Jan hadn't even needed to turn his head to figure out who it was that had spoken to him. Standing tall with blonde hair, wearing the standard Marine uniform (As well as a couple of bandages wrapped around the bullet wound she had sustained recently), was Lieutenant Julia Vega. Jan hadn't even commented on her arrival. "No response? How odd, for a beast like yourself, I expected some fangs to be shown. I guess you're all talk…"

"A beast's fangs are only shown when he's the predator, and when he'd backed into a corner. This ain't either of those times" he talked back, caring little for her comments. Turning his head just the slightest to make eye contact, he spoke. "Fish-boy doing good? I don't want my best soldier going belly-up" he commented, to which the Lieutenant nodded.

"Yes. He's injured badly, but luckily he was treated quickly enough. With his body, he'll probably be back on his feet in a week…" she answered, taking a few steps closer to her superior officer after he had turned back his head to look at the ocean, sitting down beside him. If he cared in the slightest about the act, he didn't show it, and thus she proceeded to speak. "Penny for your thoughts? It's not often you use your head for thinking like this, Jan-kun" she commented, only for him to frown slightly.

"It's Captain Van Edgar to you, _Lieutenant_" he spoke back, only to gain an amused reaction from the blonde, with her eyebrow raised.

"Oh? I remember a time when we were more than just Lieutenant and Captain…" she replied, reminiscing. His cold, deadpanned words broke that moment of reminiscence, however.

"That time was long ago" was all he said, making Vega sigh as she stood up, stretching her legs a bit.

"You sure know how to make a woman happy, don't you?" she asked, only for her comment to go ignored. Sighing, she turned on her heels, heading back the way she came, no sign of a 'goodbye' or 'see ya' shown in any way. It was only when she was long gone that he had finally spoken.

"I'm going after that Pirate"

That was his decision, his resolve.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the open seas, a small rowing boat rocked back and forth in the waves, a lone figure, his clothing reminiscent of a monk's robes with a conical straw hat perched atop his head shadowing his eyes, hiding them from view. In his hand rested a Ko Den Den Mushi, while his spare hand held a pipe up to his mouth, which was curled upwards at the corners.

"You've made contact?"

The voice from the Ko Den Den Mushi was calm, relaxed, the voice of a young man, confident to the point of laxness. His question was not one of a boss trying to assert whether or not the task was done, but of curiosity. The man, smoking his pipe, opened his mouth, ready to speak.

"Yep, real nice kid. Good manners" he commented, his voice having changed from before. Before, when he had met Jared on that street, he had sounded like a mystic, like he was some sort of fortune-teller. But now, now his voice was more… Sinister. Snake-like. It was had to explain, but it was as though his words were pure venom, striking deep into the heart of those that heard them.

"Is he strong?" came the other's voice again, curious still. The pipe-smoking man's lips curled upwards even more in a fiendish smirk, a certain creepiness to it, and spoke.

"Nope, not at all".

* * *

"JARED! Come, quick!" came a young woman's voice. From the deck, clad in a red kimono with white lining that hugged her frame, the kimono open at the front a bit to expose some of her ample bosom, her hair done up in it's normal top-knot. A smile as wide as her face greeted the young Captain, clad in only his slightly-torn jeans, his brown hair messy from his time in bed, as he came out from his quarters to see what the fuss was about. Before him stood his crew, all looking out over the railing at the sight before them – Roi was clad in an amber, checkered shirt, dark, tight-fitting pants with polished black shoes and a red fur coat draped over his shoulders, his black hair slicked back as usual, while Kain, on the other hand, chose to wear a new pair of flared jeans, with black sandals on his feet while his upper-body was clad in a white, short-sleeved shirt tucked into his jeans, his white hair as much a mess as ever. Tigress, meanwhile, was dressed in a simple white jacket, the top button undone to show some cleavage, much like the First Mate had done with her kimono, with the sleeves rolled up as far as the elbows, and a pair of white, martial-artist's pants and a pair of black martial artist's shoes, her orange hair cascading down her back as ever. But what took him by surprise was the sight before them.

Standing tall, so high up that the top was obscured by clouds, was the Red Line, and just ahead of them was an upwards-flowing river, the entrance to the Grand Line.

"People!" called Kain, grinning widely. "Welcome, to the Grand Line!"

* * *

**Shinobi-dono: Yo! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This is the ending, I suppose, to the South Blue Saga. But don't worry! In two weeks or less, you will have the first chapter of the new Saga, and the crew's entry into the Grand Line! I hope you enjoyed the part with Edgar and our mystery monk, because I enjoyed writing them ^^**


	23. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

* * *

Right, just a simple author's note for all of you who have read this fic and are wondering when I'll be updating again. Truth is, I already have - I may have accidentally not made it clear to you all the first time, so I apologize for that. This fic is one part of a larger series, which is divided into Sagas. This 'Saga' is the South Blue Saga of the Bebop Pirates, for example, so for those of you who wish to see the rest of the series, please look up the second Saga in this series, **Bebop Pirates: Hunting Night**. I promise you all, you'll enjoy it!

In other news, since this Author's note would be horribly short otherwise, I am also announcing a decision of mine to rewrite the majority of this fic, since, in my own opinion, it doesn't reflect the talent I have at all in the beginning, and in truth looks really bad to me. So! Stick around for a while and you'll see a couple of edits to the fic, including extended scenes and a marked improvement in the writing. Yet again I promise it'll be a lot better!

So, to sum it all up, a second saga for you all to read is available and the vast majority of this story will be rewritten to make it better (Of course, the general plotline will remain the same). So stick around and read!


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